Relationship between the Personal, Socio-psychological Characteristics, with the Production and Income of the Pomegranate Growers

The pomegranate is cultivated as a commercial crop because of its high-income generating capacity. The pomegranate needs a critical care at the production level, and it enhances the need of consultancy service for the production. Hence, there are number of private people working as consultants along with public extension personnel. The affordability of the growers to pay is a key factor for private extension in the area. The study was conducted in Hiriyur, Hosadurga and Challakere Taluk of Chitradurga district with a total sample size of 120 comprising 60 growers each under public extension and private extension systems. The ‘ex-post facto’ research design was used in the study. The personal, communication and sociopsychological characteristics of pomegranate growers who used public and private extension systems were studied and quantified. The result shows that little more than half (51.67%) of the respondents belonged to middle age, more than onethird (44.17%) of the respondents had medium level of education, 45.00% of the respondents had medium level of farming experience, cropping intensity indicates that majority (75.83%) of the respondents belonged to medium level, one-third of the respondents belonged to high level of irrigation intensity, 42.50% of the respondents belonged to medium level of mass media exposure, one-third of the respondents (37.50%) had medium level of extension contact, 35.00% of the respondents had low level of economic motivation, 40.00% of them had medium level of scientific orientation, 44.12% of the respondents had high level of decision-making ability, 45.00% of the respondents exhibited medium level of risk orientation, 39.17% of the respondents had high level of management orientation and 42.50% of the respondents exhibit the medium level of innovative proneness.