A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN RESOURCE UTILIZATION AND YIELD PERFORMANCE OF PRECISION FARMING TECHNOLOGIES IN NORTH EASTERN KARNATAKA

The resource utilization pattern and yield performance between precision farming technologies participants and non participants for the major crops of North Eastern Karnataka region was analysed for the year 2013-2014. A The results revealed that the average yield in kg per hecatre for participant farmers in pigeon pea, cotton and paddy were 12.86, 36.64 and 97.08, respectively against 9.32, 32.98 and 80.34 kg per ha recorded for nonparticipants, respectively. However, cotton crop participants more applied significantly more fertiliser than non participants, while in case of pigeon pea and paddy, participants applied significantly less fertiliser. But as far as plant protection chemicals are concerned, participants for the three selected crops saved more chemicals than non participants. There were no differences in seed usage between participant and non-participant farmers however, for all the three crops, participant farmers used more labour compared to the non-participants.