Abstract
The objectives of this research were to study socio-economic factors, physical factors and biological factors which influence the farmers adoption of rice seed multiplication, and the correlation between symbolic adoption and practical adoption, as well as related problems and suggestions. The proportion stratified random sampling method was used to get 118 farmers who produced Chainat-l rice for seed research multiplication in Amphoe Ranot, Songkhla Province during the dry season in 1997. statistical procedures used in analizing the data included percentage, means, standard deviation, correlation coefficient and multiple regression.
The study revealed that (1) the factors influencing the adoption of rice seed multiplication were five factors: rice yield per rai, attitude towards the field inspector, motivation prior to rice seed multiplication, climate and disease-insects pests. (2) the correlation between symbolic adoption and practical adoption on technology in rice seed multiplication revealed that four technologies showed statistically positive correlation such as land preparation, seed variety selection, seed drying and seed storage prior to buying from seed centre, but one factor of this technical adoption showed a statistically significant negative correlation was distance between rice seed multiplication fields and others. (3) The farmers had difficulty to reduce seed moisture content so that the rice seed centre should cooperate with farmers to provide rice seeds from their rice fields to reduce seed moisture content at the rice station where farmers pay their own gasoline during drying period and the government should build seed stations in the villages and stimulate competition among them.
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