Effect of Information Sources and their Characteristics on Knowledge and Adoption of Cultural Practices of the Domestic Floriculture Growers in the Central Province of Sri Lanka

Floriculture industry has become a high-income generating agribusiness today in Sri Lanka. It also brings a considerable amount of foreign exchange to the country annually, which is an important factor for the country’s economy. The climatic variation of the Central Province of Sri Lanka provides a suitable growing environment for different tropical and subtropical floriculture species. There are more than 700 floriculture nurseries in the province. They grow an array of popular floriculture varieties for the local market. The objectives of the research were to identify the information sources, their characteristics, and their effect on technical knowledge and adoption of grower’s cultural practices. Among the growers, 210 were randomly selected. A three-point scale was used to measure the levels of technical knowledge. Required primary data were collected through personal interviews with a pretested questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Anthuriums, Orchids, Roses, Foliage, and Mixed flowers were the main floricultural crops grown by the growers in the province. Different percentages of respondents grow different types of floricultural crops (53.8% to 63.3%). The numbers of respondents showed that one grower might grow more than one type of crop. Higher numbers of the growers grow anthuriums (68.5%), mixed flowers (63.3), and foliage (59.0). These floricultural crops have high demands in the local market as well as in the foreign market. Television was partly helpful for the growers (78.8%) as an information source.

The highest mean values of overall quality of information were for the information given by the botanic garden extension staff (16.45) and fellow growers (14.37). The majority of the respondents have received adequate (82%), fully trustworthy (84.1%), fully timely (73.4%), fully useful (81.7%) technical information from the Botanic Gardens extension staff. The fellow growers (43.1%) were also an important information source for the growers. Private companies (1.1%) and radio (1.1%) provided the least amount of information. The relationship between the overall technical knowledge and the overall information sources was significant (p value is 0.007). The relationship between the overall adoption and the overall information sources was also significant (p value is 0.007). Depending on the situation, different information sources provide the growers with trustworthy, useful and timely information. Growers receive quality information from the extension officers of the Department of National Botanic Gardens (DNBG) and the fellow growers. Therefore, it is recommended to provide necessary quality information to the growers through the DNBG.