Knowledge Domain of Groundnut Farmers about Improved Technologies — An Empirical Study

This paper has studied the knowledge domain of farmers about improved technologies in ground cultivation in the Raichur district of Karnataka with a sample size of 120 respondents. The study has revealed that more than half of the respondents had only partial knowledge about land preparation, spacing and organic manures. The full knowledge status was observed across 55.0 per cent groundnut cultivators on intercultivation, 54.2 per cent farmers on varieties, and 28.3 per cent farmers on seed rate. The knowledge was found poor about seed treatment with bio-agents (68% farmers), followed by disease management (67% farmers) and pest management (58% farmers). Around 40 per cent farmers had low educational level coupled with less experience in both risk orientation and scientific orientation. The extension contact of groundnut farmers has been found poor. The correlation analysis has revealed that education, management orientation, achievement orientation and extension contact of groundnut farmers depicted a positive and significant relationship with their knowledge level of improved technologies at 1 per cent level of probability, whereas farming experience, risk orientation, and innovative proneness of groundnut farmers exhibited a positive and significant relationship with 5 per cent level of probability.