FARMER PARTICIPATORY SEED POTATO PRODUCTION THROUGH KRISHI VIGYAN KENDRA NETWORKING: AN ACTION RESEARCH FOR ENHANCED AVAILABILITY OF SEED POTATOES IN INDIA.

Use of poor quality seed has been envisaged as one of the major causes of low productivity of potato in India. Keeping these facts under consideration, a trial on raising the quality seed potatoes using "Seed Plot Technique" was taken up at five locations in the Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh, India involving a small group of farmers cultivating potato as cash crop. The complete package under "Seed Plot Technique" was assessed and capacity building interventions were also implemented. Performance of "Seed Plot Technique was compared with the conventional/ commonly followed practices of seed potato production in the region. Technical and socio-psychological impact as well as the sustainability of this technique was ascertained on the established indicators. Results showed that Seed Plot Technique was highly effective in improving the quality of seed potatoes as it reduced the aphid population by 73.7 to 74.1%, white fly population by 68.1 to 86.9%, and mosaic incidence by 71.0 to 75.8.0%, besides, achieving bumper crop yield with an increase of 10.3 to 16.3% over the conventional system). The technique was also found to be cost effective with higher B: C ratio of 2.6 and sustainable score (80) over the conventional system (B: C ratio=2.0; score 53). These, findings have wider implication for establishment of replicable and remunerative agri-business model of commercial seed potato production at the farmer's level in the plains of Uttar Pradesh using the innovative seed plot technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]