Evaluation of Technology Dissemination Through Demonstration on the Yield of Kharif Onion in Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh

Onion (Allium cepa) is one of the most important bulb crop in India, which plays a major role in supplementing the income of small and marginal farmers of Kurnool District in Andhra Pradesh. One of the major constraints of kharif Onion farming is poor nursery and low productivity due to non adoption of recommended package of practices and improved verities. To replace this anomaly, National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation, Kurnool (A.P.) had conducted TDTD (Technology Dissemination Through Demonstration) under National Horticulture Mission, Govt. of India, at adopted farmers fields. Cultivation practices comprised under TDTD viz., use of improved variety/season specific, nursery raising, soil/seed treatment, transplanting, fertilizer application and control of Purple Blotch disease, showed that per cent increase in the yield of Onion ranged from 31.31% to 37.50% over local check during the course of study from 2005–06 to 2009–10. The technology gap of 18.2 q/ha. as minimum during 2009–10 to maximum of 33.8 q/ha. at the initial stage of study (2005–06) shows the gap in demonstration yield over potential yield, but the above gap reduced subsequently in the following years.