Adoption pattern of improved pigeonpea varieties in Gulbarga district, Karnataka, India

India is the highest producing country in the world and contributes one fourth in total pulse production. The Karnataka state is one of the leading pigeonpea growing states, with Gulbarga district contributing about 56 per cent of the total pigeonpea area of the state. The present study investigates the adoption pattern of improved varieties of pigeonpea. A sample size of farmers each of adopters and non-adopters of improved varieties of pigeonpea were selected randomly from four villages in two blocks of Gulbarga district. The result indicates that more than 45 years age group with higher education background was the adopters of improved varieties. WRP-1 variety released by University of agricultural Sciences, Dharwad was the leading improved cultivar's among the sample farmers which has higher net return over ICP-8863 and local varieties. The short duration of the crop, more grain yield and high market price were found to be the main reasons for adoption of the improved varieties. The logit analysis interpret that size of operational holding, education and age of farmers were found significant and positive factors influencing adoption decisions of farmers. It was suggested that greater agricultural research efforts are needed towards varietal improvement in pigeonpea crop in order to improve their yield. Emphasis may be given for improvement in the development of infrastructural facilities for quality and timely availability of inputs including credit facilities.