Level of knowledge farmers of extension recommendations at banana production in Luxor governorate, Egypt

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to assess knowledge level of Farmers of extension recommendations at banana production, identify the problems of production banana from the point of growers' view and their proposals to overcome it. In order to achieve the above objectives, a survey was carried out on 285 respondents in three villages in Luxor governorate, Egypt; a questionnaire form was prepared and distributed among all respondents. The researchers followed up the process of data collection and were able to obtain responses from respondents in the governorate. Percentages, frequency used for data processing and analyses. The results of field research indicated that the respondents had high knowledge about the processes of cultivation and securitization methods (58.2%, 56.8%), respectively, while the results showed that the respondents had a medium level of knowledge about the processes of irrigating the banana crop, the appropriate planting date, taro, preparing the land for agriculture, integrated pest and disease control, and bagging at rates 56.5%, 51.2%, 50.5%, 47.7, 42.1%, 33.3%, respectively, while the farmers surveyed had Low level of knowledge about banana crop fertilization, hoeing, breeding and selection, and appropriate planting distances, with percentages of 85.3%, 67.7%, 63.9%, 45.3% respectively; the most reliable sources of the respondents are the agricultural guide in the village, family, relatives, friends, researchers at agricultural research stations, dealers of seeds, pesticides and fertilizers, then daily newspapers, magazines and extension bulletins; the most important sources that the interviewed farmers benefit from in obtaining information on banana production, respectively, are as follows: the agricultural guide in the village, family, relatives and friends, researchers at agricultural research stations, the supervisor of the agricultural cooperative association, and traders of seeds, pesticides and fertilizers and less than half of the farmers surveyed (49.1%) have a medium level of knowledge of the extension recommendations for banana production.