• Jayasankar R
• P.R.Sivapriyan
• R.Muthukumar
• T.Balakrishnan

India is the largest producer, processor, consumer and exporter of cashew (Anacardium occidentale L., family-Anacardiaceae) in the world. The current production accounts for 45 per cent of the global production. In Tamil Nadu, Cuddalore district was considered to have the maximum area and production under cashew than other cashew producing districts in the state. High density planting is a technique capable of enhancing the productivity of cashew plantations to a great extent. This involves planting of more number of grafts per unit area initially and thinning out at later stages. The present study was designed to measure the awareness and knowledge level of the recommended HDP practices in cashew cultivation. The study was carried out in selected twelve villages of Panruti and Kurinjipadi blocks in Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu. The samples consisted of 120 respondents who were selected by using proportionate random sampling method. The respondents were interviewed personally by a well structured and pre-tested interview schedule. Percentage analysis and cumulative frequency method were used for analyzing and interpreting the data. Majority of the respondents possessed high level of awareness (75.80 per cent) and knowledge (64.20 per cent) about the recommended HDP practices in cashew cultivation. About the sixteen HDP practices in cashew cultivation, cent per cent for seven practices viz., varieties, planting, application of organic manures, irrigation management, flowering management, intercropping and time of harvesting, more than ninety per cent of the respondents had knowledge on pit preparation spacing , age of cashew grafts for planting, below ninety per cent of the respondents had knowledge on pruning, pest management, weed management, nutrient management, and disease management and below fifty per cent of the respondents had knowledge on fertigation.

Cashew, HDP, Awareness and Knowledge level

"AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF CASHEW GROWERS ABOUT HDP PRACTICES IN TAMIL NADU", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 12, page no.714-721, December-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1812D05.pdf

"AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF CASHEW GROWERS ABOUT HDP PRACTICES IN TAMIL NADU", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 12, page no. pp714-721, December-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1812D05.pdf