Assessment of extension interventions for enhancing cotton productivity through high density planting system among cotton growers in Bhuvanagiri and Jangaon districts of Telangana

Abstract

Cotton a major fibre and cash crop in the country providing livelihood to the farmers plays a vital role to sustain national economy. The yields in red soils where most of the cotton is cultivated in Telangana are low. To replace this anomaly DAATTC, Bhuvanagiri conducted demonstrations during Kharif from 2022–23 to 2024–25 in different villages of Bhuvanagiri and Jangaon districts. The main objective was to increase productivity and profitability from poor soils by High Density planting system. The average yield recorded was 22.91 q ha-1 in demonstration plot, a 33.50% increase over farmer’s practice (17.16 q ha-1). The technology gap in the demos was 9.59 q ha-1, extension gap was 5.75 q ha-1 with a technology index of 29.49%. The demonstrated plots gave higher gross returns, net return with higher benefit cost ratio when compared to farmer’s practice. In present study efforts were also made to study the impact of demonstrations on horizontal spread which increased by 870%. The study also revealed that there was significant increase in knowledge level of the farmers due to the demonstrations. The results revealed that the adoption of the high-yielding variety with a full package of practices significantly increased cotton productivity and reduced both extension and technology gaps.