Indian Journal of Extension Education

False smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens is becoming a major disease of rice causing yield losses where rice is cultivated. In India, the disease has spread widely in recent years. In most part of the Uttar Pradesh including Ghazipur district also the trend is same. Considering the facts, integrated approaches were comprised under farmer's participatory trial for false smut management. Technological gap between improved management package and farmers practices were studied based on survey and group discussion with farmers. Full gap was observed in case of use of seed/seedling treatment and partial gap was in use of varieties, method of transplanting, number of hill/m2, use of fertilizers, weed management and plant protection measures, which definitely was the reason of not achieving potential yield. The average incidence of false smut in paddy i.e. 9.82 per cent was recorded in demonstrated plot while it was 19.48 per cent in farmers practice. On an average disease reduction was 50.24 per cent noticed with the use of integrated disease management approach over farmer's practice. The recommended rice cultivar yielded 60.75q/ha yield during kharif 2015 while 56.75q/ha was noticed in kharif 2016, it was 39.24 and 34.03 per cent more over farmer's practice. The average net returns i.e. 50344.13/ha was received in demonstrated plots while farmers were obtained 30500.65/ha by their own practices. On an average benefit cost ratio 2.41 was found under demonstrated technologies while it was 1.94 in farmer's practices. The outcome of the trial inspired the farming communities to replace their old non-descriptive varieties with high yielding varieties and other technological options including IPM strategies which are being adopted in their cultivation.