Title: KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION LEVELS OF THE FARMERS IN MECHANIZED PADDY CULTIVATION WITH RESPECT TO FARM EQUIPMENTS AND SERVICES AVAILABLE AT CUSTOM HIRING SERVICE CENTRES

Authors: Dhananjaya B., Subhash Kalagi and V. R. Vinod

Publisher: The President, Society of Extension Education Gujarat

Keywords: mechanized paddy cultivation; custom hiring service centres; knowledge level; adoption level; farm equipment and services

Volume: 40

Issue: 1

Year: December 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56572/gjoee.2025.40.1.0018

Abstract: A study to assess the role Custom Hiring Service Centres in the mechanized Paddy production was undertaken by gauging the knowledge and adoption levels of farmers of coastal taluks of Udupi district. The study revealed that the overall knowledge and adoption levels of farmers on farm implements and services available at Custom Hiring and Service Centres (CHCS) were at medium level with both Government sponsored and Private owned CHSCs users. The respondents were fully aware (100%) of tillage machineries including the tractors and tillers, advanced on-line booking facilities, availabilities of operators, technicians and experts, machinery rental charges, their repair & services, charges, mobile SMS facilities, provision of printed brochures about CHSCs. However, they were fully ignorant about the facilities of aggregate or model facility and machinery working duration tracking system APP in mobiles for computing rental charges. Demonstrations and trainings offered by the Government sponsored CHSCs helped their uses to acquire and adopt the technology of seedling preparations for machine transplanting (60%); but, private owned CHSC reliant farmers, depended fully upon the supplied seedlings. Only power tiller and cage wheels were fully used by all the respondents among the tillage machineries. M.B. Ploughs and Rotary tillers were not at all used by any of the respondents. Adoption level of Plant protection equipments was limited only for the Knapsack sprayers and Gutter sprayers. Similarly, the Cono weeders were partially adopted among the Government sponsored (20.00%) and Private owned (36.67%) CHSCs users. Neither, the power weeders nor paddy threshers were adopted by any of the respondents for weeding and threshing operations. Combine harvesters were adopted because of its versatility in harvesting, threshing and bagging advantages by all the respondents.