Perceptions on the Selection of Seed Varieties for Paddy Farming in Palakkad: A Qualitative Inquiry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.621RN01Keywords:
Paddy cultivation, Seed varieties, Traditional seeds, Hybrid seedsAbstract
Paddy is an important item of food and a source of livelihood in Palakkad district of Kerala. However, it was observed that the productivity of paddy cultivation has been declining in Palakkad. Earlier research has identified some of the causes of the decline in the productivity of paddy. But the decision on the selection of seed varieties of paddy remains under-investigated in a qualitative manner. Considering this context, the present research attempted to analyse the selection-decision of seed varieties of paddy in Palakkad. To meet this goal, the present research has used a qualitative approach. The primary information was collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with respondents in 2025. These responses were analysed by word-cloud analytics. Based on the analysis, it was found that farmers used the traditional seed varieties of paddy in the ‘dry season’ and hybrid varieties in the ‘wet season’. The major factors that influenced their seed selection were climate conditions, satisfaction from farming, size of the holding, availability of irrigation facilities, input costs, yield capacity, market for paddy and nature of Government support. Based on these findings, the present research argues that novel paddy varieties of seeds should be developed to suit the region-specific climate and socio economic conditions of paddy farmers in Palakkad.
Downloads
References
Addison, M., Edusah, S. E., & Sarfo-Mensah, P. (2014). Gender constraints and rice varietal characteristics preferences in lowland rice ecosystem in Ghana. Developing Country Studies, 4(15), 92–98.
Ahaljith, R. (2019). Sustainability and challenges in cultivation of traditional rice varieties in Kerala (Doctoral dissertation, Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara).
Ashokkumar, K., Kowsalya, M., Vivekanandhan, S., Jothika, J., & Sivakumar, P. (2023). Assessment of traditional and modern rice varieties for salt tolerance at early growth stages. Journal of Current Opinion in Crop Science, 4(2), 50–55.
Bannor, R. K., Oppong-Kyeremeh, H., Derkyi, M., Adombila, A. Y., & Amrago, E. C. (2020). Village savings and loans association participation and impact on off-farm income among rural women. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 14(4), 539–562.
DePaolo, C. A., & Wilkinson, K. (2014). Get your head into the clouds: Using word clouds for analysing qualitative assessment data. TechTrends, 58, 38–44.
Hounyo, U., & Lahiri, K. (2023). Estimating the variance of a combined forecast: Bootstrap-based approach. Journal of Econometrics, 232(2), 445–468.
Jana, A., Sharma, N., Nain, M. S., Bishnoi, S., & Nath, R. K. (2025). Farmers’ preference for IARI wheat varieties in northwestern plain zone (NWPZ) and central zone (CZ) of India. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(1), 89–93. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2025.61116
Kerala Economic Review. (2025). Kerala Economic Review. Kerala State Planning Board, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.
Koppa, N., & Amarnath, G. (2021). Geospatial assessment of flood tolerant rice varieties to guide climate adaptation strategies in India. Climate, 9(10), 151.
Kour, R., Slathia, P. S., Peshin, R., Sharma, B. C., Samanta, A., & Kumar, R. (2023). Knowledge level of the farmers about hybrid rice cultivation in Jammu district. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 59(4), 120–124. https://journals.acspublisher.com/index.php/ijee/article/view/10706
Krishnankutty, J., Blakeney, M., Raju, R. K., & Siddique, K. H. (2021). Sustainability of traditional rice cultivation in Kerala, India—A socio-economic analysis. Sustainability, 13(2), 980.
Mehar, M., Yamano, T., & Panda, A. (2017). The role of gender, risk, and time preferences in farmers’ rice variety selection in eastern India. Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development, 14(1), 17–36.
Mishra, S. J., Doharey, R. K., Meena, N. R., Sonu, K., & Deekshith, B. (2025). Adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in flood affected regions of Darbhanga. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(3), 64–68. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJEE/article/view/168077
Pradhan, S. K., Naik, A., & Ray, S. (2025). Perception of paddy farmers on climate change in western Odisha: An ANN model integration. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(3), 1–6. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJEE/article/view/167336
Prasad, G. S., Rao, C. S., Suneetha, K., Muralidharan, K., & Siddiq, E. A. (2022). Impact of breeder seed multiplication and certified quality seed distribution on rice production in India. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, 3(1), 33.
Sabu, P. J., & Roy, D. (2024). Constraints faced by paddy farmers in Kerala: An empirical analysis in Palakkad. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 60(4), 136–139. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJEE/article/view/152004
Sekhri, A., Ranawat, R., Jain, H., & Lodha, K. (2025). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices in sustainable nutrition in late adulthood: A qualitative analysis. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(2), 85–90. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJEE/article/view/166260
Shafeeqa, T., Ravichandran, V., Senthil, A., Arul, L., & Radhamani, S. (2022). Assessment of seedling traits of rice landraces under different saline conditions. Journal of Applied & Natural Science, 14(4).
Silverman, R. M., & Patterson, K. (2021). Qualitative research methods for community development. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003172925
Sowmya, N. R., & Padannakkad, K. (2016). Traits for salinity tolerance, non-lodging and high yield of rice in Kaipad soil of Kerala (Doctoral dissertation, College of Agriculture, Padannakkad).
Suma, A., Francies, R. M., Radhakrishnan, V. V., Beena, C., & Bisht, I. S. (2018). Consumer preference: Crucial in determining the grain type-richness in rice varieties grown across Kerala, India. Indian Journal of Plant Genetic Resources, 31(2), 179–185.
Thomas, J. J. (2011). Paddy cultivation in Kerala. Review of Agrarian Studies, 1(2).
Vivekanandhan, S., Karuppanan, T., & Ashokkumar, K. (2024). Evaluation of salinity tolerance in Tamil Nadu and Kerala’s popular traditional rice varieties during germination and early growth stages. Journal of Current Opinion in Crop Science, 5(1), 41–47.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
