A Study on Knowledge and Adoption of Tomato Seed Production Technologies

Abstract

The study on knowledge and adoption of tomato seed production technologies in Haveri district was conducted in 2023–24 using an ex-post facto research design. A sample of 120 tomato seed growers was selected from two talukas, each with two hoblies, with 30 growers randomly chosen from each hobli. The study assessed the knowledge and adoption levels of recommended tomato seed production technologies, highlighting key gaps and areas for improvement. Findings revealed that fundamental practices such as season selection, isolation requirements, staking, fertigation, drip irrigation and core seed extraction techniques were widely known and adopted. However, knowledge was significantly lower in areas like land requirements, transplanting methods and advanced disease and pest management. Adoption trends followed a similar pattern with higher adoption for essential agronomic practices, but lower for complex or resource-intensive ones such as herbicide application, organic manure usage and specific pest and disease control practices. The majority of growers were categorized as having medium (45.83 %) levels of knowledge and adoption (37.50 %), indicating a partial uptake of recommended technologies. These results suggest a pressing need for targeted capacity-building efforts. The study concludes that there is substantial potential to enhance tomato seed quality and yield through improved education, stronger extension services and better access to technical resources. Strategic interventions by seed companies such as establishing model demonstration farms, offering timely technical advisories and distributing comprehensive production guidelines are recommended to bridge the observed gaps in knowledge and adoption among growers.