Assessment of farmers' awareness of agronomic operations and pest management in castor cultivation, indicating the need for better training.
Castor (Ricinus communis) is a key oilseed crop in India with a wide range of industrial applications. Although India is the top producer, yields of castor in Telangana remain relatively low, largely due to farmers' limited familiarity with recommended practices. The study evaluated the knowledge of 120 castor growers in Mahabubnagar district and analyzed how socio-economic traits relate to their awareness of best practices. Farmers' knowledge was measured across agronomic operations, nutrient and pest management, post-harvest handling and value-addition practices. Results showed that farmers were more aware of routine, observable practices such as sowing time, hybrid selection, and nipping, while technical and post-harvest practices, including storage, nutrient management, and value addition, were poorly understood. Correlation analysis indicated that education, farming experience, training, social participation, information-seeking, input management, motivation, risk-taking, and market intelligence positively influenced knowledge, whereas age, landholding, and irrigation potential had limited effects. The findings highlight the need for strengthened extension services and targeted training to improve adoption of recommended practices, enhance yield, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase economic returns, promoting sustainable castor production.
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Sirilakshmi et al. (2025) studied this question.
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