CONTENTS

J.Res. ANGRAU 41(2) 68-73, 2013
EFFECT OF FRONT LINE DEMONSTRATIONS AND TRAININGS ON KNOWLEDGE
AND ADOPTION OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES BY
CHICKPEA FARMERS OF PRAKASAM DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH
O. SARADA and G. V. SUNEEL KUMAR
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Darsi – 523 247
Date of Receipt : 21.01.2013 Date of Acceptance : 05.03.2013
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted in Prakasam District of Andhra Pradesh during 2012. The investigation included
50 chickpea farmers from two adopted villages of Krishi Vigyan Kendra who have participated in trainings and Front
Line Demonstrations on Integrated Pest Management practices and 50 other chickpea farmers who have not
undergone trainings and FLDs on IPM from a non-adopted village. More than fifty per cent of beneficiary chickpea
farmers had medium level of knowledge and adoption with respect to Integrated Pest Management practices,
followed by 32.00 and 36.00 per cent of beneficiary farmers under high category respectively. Whereas 40.00 and
48.00 per cent of the non-beneficiary farmers were in low knowledge and adoption categories, respectively. A large
majority of beneficiary chickpea farmers were fully adopting summer ploughing (100.00%), need based plant
protection measures (86.00%), growing of trap crop (78.00%), disease resistant cultivars (62.00%), seed treatment
(56.00%) and partially adopting spraying of neem formulations and erecting bird perches. The major constraints
faced by beneficiary farmers in adoption of recommended Integrated Pest Management practices of chickpea are
non-availability of disease resistant cultivars (98.00%), inputs like bacterial pesticides, pheromone traps (94.00%)
and complex and labor intensive practices of neem seed kernel extract and poison bait preparation (72.00%) etc.
Chickpea is the third most important grain
legume that accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the
total pulse production in India. In India, it is grown in
5.65 mha producing 4.15 m. ton annually with
productivity of 740 Kg ha -1 . In Andhra Pradesh, it is
grown in an area of 5.29 lakh ha with annual
production of 6.28 lakh tons and productivity of 842
Kg ha -1 (Ministry of Agriculture, 2009). Prakasam
district of Andhra Pradesh has highest acreage (0.95
lakh ha.) under chick pea and is rapidly increasing
for the last three or four years by replacing tobacco
and other commercial crops in view of their eroding
profitability when compared to chick pea. In order to
get highest yields from the crop, farmers are using
chemical inputs indiscriminately which has led to pest
resistance and environmental pollution.
The use of pesticides that are used by farmers
to improve production and productivity are beset with
conflicting interests between the farmers on one hand
and society on the other. Even though social
considerations would warrant the use of target
specific pesticides which degrade expeditiously in
the environment, the farmers use those pesticides
that are easily available, cheap and simple to use.
In this context, Front Line Demonstrations
(FLDs) and trainings on recommended Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) practices in chickpea were being
implemented by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Darsi
in its adopted villages of Prakasam district for three
years from 2009 to 2011 with the twin objectives of
minimizing environmental pollution and maximizing
the cost benefit ratio. With this background in view,
to know the effect of FLDs and trainings on knowledge
and adoption levels of farmers, this particular study
was taken up with the following specific objectives.
To assess the overall knowledge and adoption
levels of beneficiary and non-beneficiary chickpea
farmers with respect to recommended IPM practices
in chickpea.
To assess the component wise knowledge and
adoption levels of beneficiary and non-beneficiary
chickpea farmers with respect to recommended IPM
practices in chickpea.
email: saradasuneel@gmail.com
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