Problems Encountered by Coconut Growers by Adopting TNAU Coconut Tonic and their Perceived Benefits

Abstract

Aim: The study aims to analyse the problems encountered by Coconut growers by adopting the TNAU Coconut tonic and their perceived benefits. Study Design: Ex post facto research design. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Coimbatore district which represents a major coconut-growing tract of the Western zone of Tamil Nadu. Methodology: From the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, 120 Coconut growers from three different blocks namely Pollachi (North), Pollachi (South) and Anaimalai block were purposively selected for conducting the study. Data were collected from coconut growers who are all adopting TNAU Coconut tonic. The well-structured pre-tested interview schedule was used to collect data from farmers. Garrett ranking and weighted average method were computed to analyse the constraints and perceived benefits of coconut growers who are all adopting the TNAU Coconut tonic as their nutrient management practices. Results: The major constraints were reported by the growers viz., availability of tonic at TNAU (8.75%), Unskilled labour (8.57%), difficulty to identify the root (8.04%), the absorption rate of tonic is low (7.92%), non-availability of labour (7.31%), high cost of labour (7.13%), High cost of crop boosters (6.81%), poor knowledge on the availability of tonic at TNAU Agri cart, Coconut Research Station, Aliyar & Courier services (6.45%) as major constraints. The obtained key benefits include increased chlorophyll content and greenness of leaves (16.93), improved photosynthetic efficiency of leaves (11.73), decreases button shedding (30.53), increased number and size of nut (22.27), increased nut yield up to 20 per cent (18.20), increased longevity and vigour of the palm (19.40) and resistance to pests, diseases and environmental stresses (24.20) shows that maximum number of coconut growers benefited by adopting TNAU Coconut tonic. Conclusion: To overcome these constraints, concerted efforts from researchers with government and institutional support set forth the easy adoption of TNAU Coconut tonic. The adoption of TNAU Coconut tonic technology brings forth a multitude of perceived benefits to the coconut growers, along with their conventional, recommended nutrient management practices and the livelihood of coconut growers will be improved.