• Jayasankar R
• T.Balakrishnan
• R.Muthukumar

Tamil Nadu is the leader among States in the use of bio-fertilizers, an organic substitute for chemical fertilizers. Farmers use the bio-inoculants on almost all crops that are cultivated in the State. The Agriculture Department encourages the use in three ways – treating seeds before plantation, administering those on roots and using on soil. An innovation to become popular among farmers, initially it has to face a lot of difficulties in terms of farmer’s understanding the concepts, developing a favourable attitude, getting the required inputs and ensuring a good extension service. Unless the obstructions are identified and appropriate actions taken, the adoption level will be less. Hence, the obstructions analysis is an important objective of any social study. The obstructions experienced by the respondents in adopting the recommended bio-fertilizer practices were studied. The study was taken up in the rice predominant district of Thiruvarur in Tamil Nadu State (India) with a sample size of three hundred growers selected based on the random sampling method. Non-availability of labour, lack of interest, lack of confidence towards various bio-fertilizer practices, lack of technical guidance, lack of training programme, non-availability of viable culture at Government depots, high cost of labour, lack of proper communication system, complexity of new practices and lack of awareness were the major obstructions experienced by the respondents in adoption of recommended bio-fertilizer practices. The major suggestions offered by the respondents to overcome the constraints in the adoption of recommended bio-fertilizer practices were stopping the NREGA scheme in peak cropping season, increasing quantity of bio-fertilizer per packet, road side trials, field demonstrations, frequently training programmes and equipped sales points.

Bio-fertilizers, rice growers, obstructions, suggestions

"OBSTRUCTIONS TO TAMIL NADU FARMERS WHEN USING BIO-FERTILIZERS AND THEIR SUGGESTIONS FOR MITIGATION", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 11, page no.589-598, November-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1811B86.pdf

"OBSTRUCTIONS TO TAMIL NADU FARMERS WHEN USING BIO-FERTILIZERS AND THEIR SUGGESTIONS FOR MITIGATION", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 11, page no. pp589-598, November-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1811B86.pdf