ADOPTION OF COWPEA PROTECTION RECOMMENDATIONS BY RURAL FARMERS IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study reveals that the use of storage chemical is the technique with the highest adoption level (70%), closely followed by hermetic storage (63.8%) and use of insecticides on the field (48.4%). Farmers do not use herbicides and fungicides. The non-adoption of herbicides is attributed mainly to high cost and non-availability of herbicides and above all farmers’ preference for hoe weeding. About 87% have never used improved cowpea varieties. However, most farmers still use local varieties together with the improved. About 70% of the farmers use at least one type of storage chemical for protecting their produce. Only 1.5% of the farmers use 'Gammallin 20' as a storage chemical. Most of the farmers that use Phostoxin follow the recommended rate of one Phostoxin tablet per 100kg of cowpea or 500g of Actellic dust per tonne of cowpea. Only 4.6% and 1.5% of farmers use wood ash and chilly pepper for protecting their produce respectively. Extension agents are the major source of awareness of recommended crop protection practices. There is a significant relationship between adoption and sources of agricultural information. There is also a significant but negative correlation between age and adoption and a positive correlation between adoption and household size, farm size and extension contact