Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(3): 435-440 435 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2018.703.051 A Study on Knowledge Level of Farmers on Organic Red Gram Cultivation Practices in Dryland Areas of Karnataka, India Akkamahadevi Naik * , M. Sreenivasulu, I. Sreenivasa Rao and Mahesh Lankati Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad Professor Jayashankar, Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad-500 030, Telangana, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Organic farming is gaining momentum in India and particularly in Karnataka state, is at greater place because it is sustainable, adoptable and eco-friendly. Growing awareness of consumers to use safe and healthy food and need to address ill effects of chemicals in agriculture production, restoration of soil health and fertility has played a key role in the emergence of organic agriculture sector since last two decades. Red gram ranks sixth among pulses production in the world and is a major legume crop. The area under cultivation (4.5 million hectares) is stagnant. It is largely grown in the northern parts of the state especially in Gulbarga, which is called “Pulse bowl of Karnataka”. In this district, Red gram occupied an area of 3,36,853 ha and production of 1,53,285 tonnes. (Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India, 2014-15). Most farmers in Karnataka State are pioneers in organic agriculture and have developed many different systems of cultivation through indigenous knowledge base. They have developed their own methods of using organic wastes and developed holistic pest control agents to control pests and International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 03 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The study was conducted in Gulbarga district of North Karnataka. 66.60 per cent of the respondents were observed with medium level of knowledge on cultivation practices in dryland areas of Karnataka. However, majority (50.00%) of the respondents belonged to young age and the respondents had low farming experience (54.20%), followed by medium (40.80%), majority of the respondents had medium perceived attributes (54.10%), of which 54.20 per cent respondents had small farm size, but maximum number of them had medium socio-economic status (54.20%), majority of the respondents had received medium level of training (46.60%) and half of the respondents belonged to medium risk orientation (55.00%). Keywords Organic farming, Knowledge level, Red gram, Recommended package of practice Accepted: 07 February 2018 Available Online: 10 March 2018 Article Info