KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION OF PRODUCTION PRACTICES AMONG CHICKPEA GROWERS OF ANDHRA PRADESH

India is the largest producer of pulses in the world. Pulses ensures food security with its rich source of protein. To feed the growing population of India, the production of pulses also need to be increased. Hence, in order to improve the production and productivity of pulses, the knowledge and adoption level of pulse growers should be learnt to understand the technological gap exists in between them. Among various pulse crops, chickpea has been widely cultivated. Thus, the knowledge and adoption level of production practices on chickpea among the chickpea growers of Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh was studied. Twelve villages from six mandals of three blocks of Kurnool district constitute the 120 chickpea growers. The primary data were gathered with the help of structured interview schedule through persona interview during 2019-2020. The findings revealed that chickpea growers had medium level of knowledge and adoption of production practices of chickpea because of medium level of innovative proneness, farm power and social participation. Hence, it was recommended to conduct training programmes and awareness campaigns to improve the knowledge and adoption of various production practices, which in turn increase the production and productivity of chickpea.