Constraints in soil testing at farmer's level in North Karnataka

Abstract

Soil, as the fundamental medium for sustaining plant growth, exerts a direct influence on both the quality and quantity of agricultural output. Given the growing global population and the imperative for increased agricultural productivity,the optimization of crop production methods becomes crucial and one promising approach is soil testing.This study focuses on the constraints faced by soil-tested and not-tested farmers in the North Karnataka, India. The study employedpurposive multistage sampling technique to select 160 respondents, including 80 soil-tested and 80 not-tested farmers.Thestudy is based on primary data collected through well-structured interviews and Garrett’s ranking technique was utilized toexamine the constraints faced by soil-tested and not-tested farmers. Results show that among the constraints faced by soiltestedfarmers, difficulty in calculating the fertilizer dose based on the nutrient status of the soil was the most prominentproblem with mean Garrett score of 70.52, followed by difficulty in comprehending all the information provided in the soiltest report, with mean Garrett score of 56.61, unreliability of soil testing results was ranked sixth with mean Garrett scoreof 35.77. In the case of soil not-tested farmers, lack of awareness about soil testing was the major problem with a mean Garrett score of 63.30, followed by lack of information about the benefits of soil testing with mean Garrett score of 61.05,soil testing laboratories are located far away was ranked sixth with mean Garrett score of 39.11. Taking corrective measureswould improve the soil testing rates which would in turn have greater impact on crop productivity in the region.