DIFFUSION AND ADOPTION STATUS OF MARKAZ-09 LENTIL VARIETY IN POTHWAR REGION, PAKISTAN

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1 DIFFUSION AND ADOPTION STATUS OF MARKAZ-09 LENTIL VARIETY IN POTHWAR REGION, PAKISTAN NUSRAT HABIB 1*, MUHAMMAD ZUBAIR ANWAR 1 and ASGHAR ALI 2 1 Social Sciences Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad - Pakistan. 2 Pulses Program, Crop Sciences Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad - Pakistan. * Corresponding author:nusrat.habib@ymail.com ABSTRACT Pulses program NARC has developed and disseminated lentil variety Markaz-09 which is the highest yielding variety in the country but diffusion and adoption status of the variety is yet unknown. The present study was undertaken among 70 lentil farmers from pulses farming districts Attock, Chakwal, Jehlum and Rawalpindi in The aim of the study was to find out the diffusion and adoption status, as well as to study constraints in adoption of the variety. The adoption behavior was studied by using the probit analysis technique. The analysis revealed that among 70 respondents only 44 percent respondents were adopters of the variety which indicated that adoption status of the variety was at initial stage with slow adoption rate. According to probit analysis estimates the determinants of adoption were yield of Markaz-09, access to extension services and distance from input shop while in case of factors contributing towards non-adoption of the variety were experience of the respondents, education, total operational holding, area under wheat, access to credit and extent of weeds for Markaz-09variety of lentil in the study area. Keywords: Adoption, Survey Data, Constraints, Markaz-09, Lentil, NARC, Probit Analysis, Pothwar Region. Citation: Habib. N., M. Z. Anwar and A. Ali Diffusion and adoption status of markaz-09 lentil variety in Pothwar region, Pakistan. Sarhad J. Agric. 30(3): INTRODUCTION Lentil is a high protein pulse crop grown for human consumption. Lentils also contain dietary fiber, vitamin B and minerals. Lentils are also a good source of iron, especially important for women of child-bearing age, children and vegetarians. As a food, it provides a valuable protein source (about 26%), which coupled with its ability to thrive on relatively poor and marginal lands and even under drought conditions (Jeswani, 1988; Verma et al., 1993). Besides being a rich source of protein, they maintain soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation in soil and thus play a vital role in furthering sustainable agriculture (Kannaiyan, 1999;Asthana&Chaturvedi, 1999).Pulses are imperative part of food because it provides proteins and vitamins particularly to the vegetarian societies of almost all the developing countries and specifically for Pakistan. In developing countries, lentil is produced on relatively poor soils and in harsh environments. Lentils are an affordable source of protein for poor people (Ali and Shaikh, 2007). Lentil was introduced in Turkey and from Turkey it was disseminated to west and east regions (Cubero, 1984). Pakistan is one of the major lentil growing countries of south Asia. Lentil is an upcoming crop among the food legumes in Pakistan especially in Pothwar region. In Pakistan, lentil is the second major Rabi pulse crop after chickpea in Pakistan. Although, lentil is a relatively minor crop on a world scale, in certain regions they assume considerable local importance and can be successfully grown on light to heavy types of soil under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. Pulses occupy a prominent place in our diets and the Pakistan agricultural economy. Pakistan imported large quantities of pulses to meet the ever increasing gap between the domestic production and requirements. Pakistan imported pulses worth $ million in as compared to the commodity s import of $ million in fiscal year showing an increase of 7.52 percent according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (Khan, 2012). Keeping in view the existing pattern of pulses import, there is a dire need to bring more area under pulses, increase their yield levels and introduced improved varieties of Pulses in Pakistan. The Pulses Program NARC has developed and disseminated Markaz-09 variety of lentil and which is the highest yielding variety of the country, but diffusion and adoption status of this released variety is still unknown. The idea that differential adoption of new technology can explain productivity differences across regions has gained acceptance in the economic literature (Skinner and Staiger, 2007). The objective of the study was to assess the diffusion and adoption status of Markaz-09 and measure the constraints in promotion and adoption of Markaz-09.

2 Nusrat Habib, et al. Diffusion and adoption status of markaz-09 lentil variety in Pothwar region, Pakistan 380 MATERIALS AND METHODS Survey Technique The main objective of the study was to explore the adoption of lentil variety Markaz-09 in the Pothwar region. The study was conducted in selected districts of Pothwar region named as Attock, Jehlum, Chakwal and Rawalpindi. The research design for this study was farm household survey for adopters and non-adopters of Markaz-09 variety with the help of a questionnaire. Primary data is that form of data that observed or collected directly from first-hand experience (Dodge, 2003). In this study primary data collected included socio-economic characteristics of respondents as well as production practices and attitude towards Markaz-09 variety of lentill farming.in total 70 farmers were interviewed from Attock (14), Chakwal (14), Jehlum (12) and different tehsils of Rawalpindi (30). Data Analysis A series of descriptive statistics were calculated. The detail descriptive analysis was carried out along with mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values by using the software program of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Farmers perceived constraints were identified and then prioritized separately. While to find the factors affecting adoption of Markaz-09 probit analysis has been employed (Salasaya et al., 2007). The model is given as below; Y X, ~ N(0,1) i Where Y = 1 if adoption of markaz-09 and Y = 0 if non-adoption of markaz-09. X 1 = Respondent experience (years), X 2 = Respondent education (years) X 3 = Distance from input market (km), X 4 = Total operational holding (acres) X 5 = Area of wheat (acres), X 6 = Yield of markaz-09 (mounds per acre) X 7 = Access to credit (dummy), X 8 = Access to extension service (dummy) X 9 = Extent of weeds (percent) RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Socio-economic Characteristics The respondents belong to different age groups with mean age of years with standard deviation of years. The percentage of mean education was 6.58 years with standard deviation of On the average farmers in the study area has years of mean experience with standard deviation of Average household size was 7.50 numbers with standard deviation of Details are given in (Table 1). Table 1. Socio-economic characteristics Variable Age (years) Education (years) Experience (years) Household size (numbers) Farmer Type Mean St. Deviation Minimum Maximum To examine how resources were managed, the farmers were divided into three groups/types; small farmers ( 5 acres); medium farmers (between 5 and 12.5 acres); and Large farmers ( 12.5 acres). The results indicates that 60 percent farmers were small farmers having 5 acres land while 25 percent were medium and 14 percent large farmers with 42, 18 and 10 frequencies respectively (Table 2).

3 Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.30, No.3, Table 2. Farmer type (Frequency Distribution) Farmers Type Frequency Percent Small farmer ( 5 acres) Medium farmers (between 5 and 12.5 acres ) Large farmers ( 12.5 acres) Adoption of Different Lentil Varieties Our simple random sample of 70 lentil farmers revealed percent were Markaz 09; 20 percent were other (who don t know the variety name); percent to be Desi Masoor and 12.85percent were Masoor2009 adopters in 2013 (Table 3). All these lentil adopters were defined here as farmers who had used this variety in the fields during Rabi 2013 (Table 3). Table 3. Adopters of different lentil varieties Variety Frequency Percent Markaz Masoor DesiMasoor Other (DK) Total Per Acre Yield of Different Lentil Varieties (in mounds) According to field survey results, it showed that on average, per acre yield of Markaz 09 was 560 kgs comparatively higher than other lentil varieties. Average per acre yields of Masoor 2009; Desi Masoor and other (DK) were recorded 469, 220 and 160 kgs respectively (Table 4). Table 4. Per acre yield of different lentil varieties (in kg/acre) Variety Mean Minimum Maximum Markaz Masoor DesiMasoor Other (DK) Adoption of Markaz-09 Variety of NARC Despite of high per acre yield from Markaz 09, the adoption of Markaz-09 variety of NARC was low, only percent as compared to non-adoption percent of this variety (Table 5). Table 5. Adoption of Markaz-09 variety of NARC Adoption/Non-adoption Frequency Percent Adoption of Markaz Non-adoption of Markaz Weeds Control Mechanism The major cause to low per acre yield was high extent of weeds in the field. According to the survey results, about 68.6 percent of farmers reported that they have severe extent of weeds problem on their crop. Twenty-seven percent reported that extent of weeds problem to their crop was moderate, while 4.3 percent were of the view that the extent of weeds at their crop was low (Table 6). Farmers used to different measures to control the weeds by eradicated it manually and chemically. As show by the survey results given in (Table 6) Sixty-eight percent of the farmers eradicated the weeds manually by hands while percent manually and spry both ways were used for weeds control and only percent farmers used spry/chemical for weeds control.

4 Nusrat Habib, et al. Diffusion and adoption status of markaz-09 lentil variety in Pothwar region, Pakistan 382 Table 6. Weeds control mechanism Variable Frequency Percent Extent of weeds High Medium Low Measures to control weeds Manually by hand Spray and manually Chemical/Spray Loss Due to Weeds Problem in Pulses Respondents of the study described that almost percent productivity wasted due to weeds issue in pulses crop. Table 7. Loss due to weeds problem in pulses Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Losses due to weeds problem Major Constraints in Adoption of Pulses in the Rainfed Area Pulses are the major sources of dietary protein in the vegetarian diet in our country. Besides being a rich source of protein, they maintain soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation in soil and thus play a vital role in furthering sustainable agriculture (Kannaiyan, 1999). Moreover, Government of Pakistan is spending a lot of foreign exchange on the import of pulses. In present pulses production scenario, pulses cultivation looks extremely important in rainfed areas of Punjab. But instead of having technical, economic and nutritional benefits, area of pulses is decreasing specifically in rainfed zones. In this study special emphasis was given to explore why pulses are not given preferences. The farmers perceived constraints were identified and then prioritized separately (Table 8 ). Among technical factors the major constraint was insects and weeds problem in pulses. In extension factors lack of knowledge and technical assistance from extension agents were major constraints. High price variation and more profit from other crops were financial constraints in adoption of pulses. Market information and marketing problem for output of pulses were hurdles in adoption of pulses in the rainfed areas of Punjab. The most important factor associated with adoption of new crops is the profitability of that specific crop; if farmers are earning more profit from other crops then non-adoption of pulses will exist. Details are in (Table 8). Table 8. Farmers perceived reasons for non-adoption of Markaz-09 Factors No of Respondents Constraint Rating Technical Non availability of quality seed Insects and weeds problem Manual harvesting and threshing Labor shortage for harvesting/ threshing Soil type problem Non availability of harvesting machinery Extension Lack of technical assistance from extension linkages Lack of coverage of adopting pulses by mass media Lack of knowledge Financial High price variation More profit from vegetables or other crops Marketing Distance from input shop Marketing problem of output Market information Distance from input shop

5 Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.30, No.3, Adoption of Markaz-09 Main objective of the study was to determine the factors contributing to adoption of lentil variety markaz-09 in Pothwar region. In the determinants of adoption or non-adoption of Markaz-09 were respondents farming experience, education, distance from input market, total operational holding, area of wheat (acres), yield of Markaz-09 (mounds per acre), access to credit, access to extension services, and extent of weeds. Distance from input market, yield of Markaz-09 and access to extension service by increasing in these mentioned factors by one unit in their mean values will increase the probability of adopting Markaz-09 by 0.18, 1.06 and 0.16 units with Z-values of 0.53, 2.01 and 0.78 respectively. The factor significant at 5 percent level of significance in the adoption of markaz-09 was yield of Markaz-09. Among the factors contributing to the non-adoption of Markaz-09 increase of one unit in the mean value of respondents experience decrease the probability of adopting Markaz-09 by 0.12 units, respondents education bring a 0.25 units decrease, total operational holding (acres) brings a 0.15 units decrease, access to credit bring a decrease of 0.10 units, area of wheat bring a 0.21 units decrease and extent of weeds by 0.82 units decrease the probability of adopting Markaz-09. Total operational holding, area of wheat and extent of weeds were significant at 1, 5 and 10 percent level of significance, respectively. Details of the coefficients and Z values are presented in the (Table 9). Table 9. Probit analysis: adoption of Markaz-09 (lentil) Variables Coefficients Z-Value Respondent experience (years) ns Respondent education (years) ns Distance from input market (km) 0.18 ns 0.53 Total operational holding (acres) -0.15*** Area of wheat (acres) -0.21** Yield of markaz-09 (mounds) 1.06** 2.01 Access to credit (dummy) ns Access to extension service (dummy) 0.16 ns 0.78 Extent of weeds (percent) -0.82* ***, **and * indicate that coefficients are significant at 1, 5 and 10 percent level of significance respectively and ns represents non-significance The ultimate objective of this study was to assess the famers adoption status of lentil variety Markaz-09, constraints in adoption and extent of insects, weeds on lentil crop in the study area. Most of the study respondents were small farmers because the land size has relatively become smaller due to redistribution and division. This was manifest as the household increases; there is a general trend of land diminishing (Wawire et al., 2002;Odenya et al, 2008). Average family size of the respondents was 7.50 who resided 60 percent in small farmer s category. Pulses program NARC used different methods to disseminate the variety such as (i) direct farmer approach, in this method they directly provided seed to farmers: (ii) extension service, seed was provided to extension departments and these extension departments further distributed the seed to farmers: (iii) Punjab seed corporation, one ton seed was given to Punjab seed corporation Lahore: (iv) demonstrational plots, in Pothwar region many sites were selected and demonstrational plots were experimented near to farmers fields. Adoption of the Markaz-09 variety of lentil in Pothwar region was increasing but with a slow adoption ratio. In total sample size of 70 selected farmers only percent farmers were adopted this variety. Determinants of adoption of Markaz-09 were yield of Markaz-09, access to extension services and distance from input shop. In which yield of Markaz-09 was significant at 10 percent level of significance and in case of importance of distance from input shop, Wawire et al., 2002 observed as plot distance increased plot considered as uneconomical for crop production.on similar lines Hagmann et al., (2003) argued that extension services facilitate farmers for learning about innovations to enhance their capacity for new crops and technology adoption. The farmer s preference was based on two attributes of the newly released NARC lentil variety such as high yielding and early maturing, have a lot of similarities in trends in adoption by farmers who grow sorghum as was found by Salasaya et al,. (2007). However, factors contributing to non-adoption of Markaz-09 were experience, education, area under wheat, total operational holding, access to credit and extent of weeds. In which total operational holding, area of wheat and weeds issues in lentil crop were significant at 1 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent level of significance respectively. Weeds issue in lentil was major hurdle in adopting pulses in the study area and loss due to weeds was approximately percent and the other major hurdle was manual harvesting for the lentil crop. Area under wheat was negatively affected the adoption of Markaz-09 these results agree with those reported by Badar et al., (2002).The labour

6 Nusrat Habib, et al. Diffusion and adoption status of markaz-09 lentil variety in Pothwar region, Pakistan 384 constraint for weeds control was also identified to be one of the contributing factors to sorghum adoption with many farmers as reported by Salasaya et al., (2007). Research efforts should be made to overcome the problems faced by pulses growers (Markaz -09) and pulses program should conducted different seminars, demonstrational plots to encourage the farmers in adopting markaz-09 and seed should be available for famers. Farmers are not fully aware of the production proficiency of the pulses which affects yield of pulses. Therefore, extension department should deliver technical assistance to the farmers concerning to the production technology. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The ultimate objective of this study was to assess the famers adoption status of lentil variety Markaz-09, yield performance, extent of insects, weeds and disease attack on lentil crop in the study area. Determinants of adoption of Markaz-09 were distance from input shop, yield of Markaz-09 and access to extension services. However, factors contributing to non-adoption of Markaz-09 were experience of the respondent, education, total operational holding, area under wheat, Access to credit and extent of weeds issue. Weeds issue in lentil was major hurdle in adopting lentil variety Markaz-09 in the study area. Moreover, empirical investigation exposed that presently farmers were not utilizing their natural as well as economic resources efficiently. Most of the farmers were still cultivating their traditional varieties that were vulnerable to diseases and low yielding. Further, inadequate use of farm inputs was adversely affecting land productivity.research efforts should be made to overcome the problems faced by pulses growers and pulses program should conducted different seminars and demonstrational plots to encourage the farmers to grow lentil variety Markaz-09.Because of the importance of pulses in rainfed areas, it should receive high priority for research in the future. Finally, this study provides detailed information about varietal adoption of Markaz-09 in Pothwar Regionto pulses program and other relevant stakeholders for planning future research. REFERENCES Ali. J. A. and N.A. Shaikh Genetic Exploitation of Lentil through Induced Mutations. Pak. J. Bot. 39(7): Asthana, A. N. and S. K. Chaturvedi A Little Impetus Needed. The Hindu Survey of Indian Agriculture. Badar, H., M. S. Javed, A. Ali, and Z. Batool Production and Marketing Constraints Limiting Sunflower Production in Punjab, Pakistan. Int. J. Agric. Biol. 4(2): Cubero, J. I Taxonomy, Distribution and Evolution of the Lentil and its Wild Relatives. In: Genetic Resources and Their Exploitation-Chickpea, Faba Bean and Lentils. (Eds.): J. R.Witcombe and W. Erskine Dodge, Y The Oxford Dictionary of Statistical Terms. Oxford University, UK. Hagmann, J., E. Moyo, E. Chuma, K. Murwira, J. Ramaru and P. Ficarelli Learning About Developing Competence to Facilitate Rural Extension Process. In Advancing Participatory Technology: Case Studies on Integrationinto Agricultural Research, Extension and Education. (Edited by Wettasinha,C., van Veldhuizen, L. and Waters-Bayer, A.), Silang, Cavite, Phillipines Jeswani, L. M Lentil.In Pulses Crops. (Eds.): B. Baldev, S. Ramanujam and H. K. Jain Kannaiyan, S Bioresources Technology for Sustainable Agriculture Associated Publishing Company, New Delhi. Khan, A Pulses import hits $ Million Mark in Fiscal Year Odenya J.O., E. O. Onginjo and F. Kebenney A Report on the Baseline Survey on the Sugarcane Production in Kenya. Kenya Sugar Research Foundation. Salasaya, B., W. Mwangi, D. Mwabu and A.Diallo Factors Influencing Adoption of Stress-tolerant Maize Hybrid (WH 502) in Western Kenya. Afric. J. Agric. Res. 2 (10): Skinner, J and D. Staiger Technology Adoption from Hybrid Corn to Beta-blockers, National Bureau of Economics Research. Verma, M. M., I. S. Singh and J. S. Brar Progress in Breeding Small- seeded in India. In: Proc.Lentil in South Asia. (Eds.): W. Erskine and M.C. Saxena March 1991, New Delhi, India

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