ADOPTION OF SCIENTIFIC FEEDING PRACTICES BY BUFFALO DAIRY ENTREPRENEURS IN PERI-URBAN AREA

The productive performance of buffalo heavily depends on scientific feeding practices which has direct impact on income generation. Hence the present study was conducted to assess theadoption level of scientific feeding practices during March to April 2015 in peri-urban areas of three districts of Marathwada region of Maharashtra by selecting 150 buffalo dairy entrepreneurs. The present study revealed that majority of respondents had medium adoption level of different component of scientific feeding practices viz. balanced diet 98.00%, use of mineral, vitamin mixture for high milk production 98.00%, calf feeding management 64.67%, recommended feeding for breeding 62.67%, use of different feed ingredient in animal diet 62.67%, fodder production of high yielding variety 50.67% while low level in fodder treatment 96.67% and use of green fodder 45.33%. Higher extent of adoption was observed in use of balance diet practices while lower extent of ado ption was in fodder treatment area. The overall adoption levels of the respondents in scientific buffalo feeding practices fall under low, medium and high categories are 28.67 %, 64.00% and 07.33% respectively. The adoption index of different scientific feeding practices like use of different feed ingredients in animal diet, balanced diet, green fodder, high yielding fodder variety production, fodder treatment, calf feeding management, recommended feeding for breeding, use of mineral, vitamin mixture (for high milk production) were 41.23%, 64.00%, 64.37%, 50.00%, 6.08%, 41.20%, 18.20%, 17.22%, respectively and overall adoption index was 40.54 % which indicated medium adoption level in the study area expecting the need to educate the dairy entrepreneurs on different scientific feeding practices.