Abstract

Field demonstrations on improved production technology (IPT) for maize were conducted in 75 hectares at farmers fields in seven blocks of Agniyar sub basin villages comprising Thanjavur and Pudukkottai District of Tamil Nadu from Feb’ 2010 to May 2010 under Tamil Nadu- Irrigated Agriculture Modernization and Water Bodies Restoration and Management (TN–IAMWARM) Project. The improved production echnologies were compared with farmer’s practice in every location. The results revealed that adoption of improved production techniques for maize influenced growth and yield attributes of maize viz., plant height, cob length and number of grains cob-1. There was a remarkable improvement in grain yield with an over all increase of 47.0 per cent over farmer’s practice due to adoption of improved production techniques in maize. Higher net return and benefit cost ratio were also observed due to adoption of improved production techniques in maize in all the villages of demonstrations in agniyar sub basin. Out of twenty villages, wherein the demonstrations were carried out in the sub basin, higher mean grain yield (6370 kg ha-1) was recorded at Odukkur village of Kunnandarkovil block in Pudukkottai District.

Keywords: IPT, maize, yield attributes, grain yield, economics