Sources, replacement of seed and adoption gaps in berseem fodder production in Punjab

Abstract

Berseem is the main nutritious rabi fodder crop in northern region of India. Despite of high nutritious value of berseem there still exists a wide gap between the knowledge available to farmers with the research work as well as its adoption at farmers’ fields. In the present study, the adoption gap in berseem production in Punjab state during 2018–19 was studied based on data collected from 80 respondents by interview method with the help of pre-tested schedule. Majority of the respondents either did not adopt or partially adopted the recommendations made by PAU. The main adoption gap found during production process existed for seed rate, source of berseem seed, seed treatment, fertilizer used, extent of quality seed used and SRR. The SRR of certified seed was 6.60 per cent whereas it was 19 per cent for TL seed. The maximum fodder yield of 516 Q/acre was observed for certified seed usewhich remained 384 Q/acre or below forpoor quality of seeds used emphasizing the strong need to be generate awareness about the use of quality seeds for higher fodder production. The share of institutional sources in berseem seed supply was only 6.25 per cent. Thus, there is a strong need for government support in terms of research activities for provision of availability of quality seed with required attributes. Extension system can further play a crucial role in enhancing production to meet the existing fodder demand. The production and productivity of berseem can further be increased by ensuring adoption of recommended production practices and by overcoming the constraints.