Intervention of Watermelon Variety Sugar Baby in Pathanamthitta Agroclimatic Zone Through Multimode Approach

KVK-Pathanamthitta acknowledged the need to move away from top-down instructions and adopted pure technology transfer with a mutimode participatory approach that directly involved farmers in defining and achieving their own development goals. Major constraint faced by the paddy farmers is non-remunerative paddy cultivation and lack of alternative profitable crop. Based on this watermelon is recommended as the best alternative crop in acres of fallow paddy lands of the district after conducting front line demonstration with innovator group of farmers in their field. Average yield/plant was about 30 kg and average yield/acre was nearly 40 tons with an average of two plants per pit. Yield data reveals that crop flowers and yields well in the agroclimatic situation of the district. Rapid transfer of technology was sort through group farming techniques. Productivity of watermelon cultivated by the men groups increased from 18.4 tons/acre in 2002-03 to 24.15 tons/acre in 2003-04. However, Yield of watermelon cultivated by the women groups was 17.08 tons/acre in 2002-03 and 15.72 tons/acre in 2003-04. On Farm Testing (OFT) with manure modification was conducted to study the vegetative as well as reproductive growth of the crop in these innovators field. Growth and yield of the plants supplied with vermicompost was higher compared to the plants supplied with coir pith compost. However, in plots where coir pith compost was applied, soil water retention was high and as a result the number of irrigation was reduced. The reduced cost of production resulted in a higher B:C ratio (3.57:1) for coir pith compost applied plots. Ratio of the spread of technology through master farmers was 1 : 2.7: 8.