Discriminant Analysis of Plant Growth Regulators among Vegetable Growers in Junagadh District of Gujarat, India

Abstract

In an agrarian economy like ours, farming productivity is of vital importance for farmers' economic wellbeing and national prosperity. The differential adoption of PGRs among horticulturists can offer insights into broader agricultural practices. Understanding PGR use in vegetable provides a comparative basis for evaluating its impact on diverse crops in the region. This study examines the socio-economic profile and identifies distinguishing factors between users and non-users using a sample of 160 farmers (80 users and 80 non-users) in Junagadh district, Gujarat. Analyses included simple tabular analysis and discriminant analysis. In this study, it was observed that most farmers were aged 36 to 50 years, and all respondents were male. The majority had an education level of 1st to 8th standard and an income up to 2 lakhs. Most farmers had landholdings of 2.01 to 4.00 hectares, engaged in both agriculture and animal husbandry, and had over 12 years of farming experience. Linear discriminant analysis identified annual family income, education, quality of yield and awareness as the most significant variables in distinguishing between users and non-users of plant growth regulators.