Title: FARMER FIRST PROGRAMME: AN EFFECTIVE EXTENSION APPROACH FOR DISSEMINATION OF SUSTAINABLE COTTON PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

Authors: P. J. Gohil, S. G. Savaliya and A. M. Bharadiya

Publisher: Society of Extension Education Gujarat

Keywords: bt. cotton, de-topping, close planting, pink bollworm

Special Issue: 2022

Published on: November 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56572/gjoee.2022.si.0004

Abstract: Field experiments were conducted during 2019-20 on 160 farmers field of the villages Mav Jinjava, Hadala, Deri Pipaliya and Nava Vaghaniya of Bagasara Taluka of Amreli District of Gujarat on intensification and pink bollworm management in cotton under the Farmers First Project. The technological intervention of the study comprised of improved Bt. cotton hybrid GTHH-49, closer planting technology (90 cm x30 cm), de topping of cotton plant at 75 DAS, pink bollworm management with 16 pheromone traps/acre, spraying of Spinosad 45 EC @ 2ml/10 liter water and four spray of bio pesticide Beauveria bassiana. The technological intervention was compared with the farmers practice. The results revealed that the technological intervention registered 18.82 % significantly higher seed cotton yield than farmers practice, additional net return of 10417/ha with ICBR of 2.37 over the farmers practice. The pink boll worm damage was significantly decreased under technological intervention and recorded 16.76% over the farmers practice. The pink bollworm incidence under technological intervention was decreased up to 60.94 % over the farmers practice.