Adoption status and determinants of direct seeded rice technology in Telangana

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) serves as the staple food for more than half of the global population and plays a crucial role in ensuring India’s food security. However, the conventional method of puddled transplanting is becoming less viable due to rising labour costs, water scarcity, and declining availability of manpower. The study was conducted during in Khammam and Peddapalli districts of Telangana to assess the adoption status and determinants of Dry Converted to Wet (DCW) and Wet DSR. An ex-post facto design was employed with 180 farmers (n=60 DCW, n=60 Wet DSR, n=60 conventional) from four mandals and three villages from each mandal with a total of twelve villages. Data was collected using pre-tested interview schedule and analysed through frequency, percentage, correlation, and multiple regression. Results indicated that most respondents in both DCW and Wet DSR categories had medium adoption levels, reflecting gradual transition from conventional methods. Correlation analysis showed significant positive relationships between adoption and profile characteristics such as age, education, landholding, farming experience, media use, and extension contact. Regression analysis identified age, education, farming experience, media use, and extension as key predictors, with high explanatory power (R² = 0.852 for DCW; 0.881 for Wet DSR). The study concludes that farmer education, reliable information access, and participatory extension services are critical to enhance adoption of DSR for sustainable rice cultivation.