International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

The results revealed that farm men and women had participated in the application of disinfectants (70.00% and 53.33%), maintenance of temperature (58.33% and 61.66%) and relative humidity (58.33% and 60.00%) in rearing house, feeding of silkworms (65.00% and 65.00%), bed spacing (61.66% and 60.00%), bed cleaning (63.33% and 66.66%), incubation of DFLS (58.33% and 66.66%), black boxing of DFLS (65.00% and 68.33%), brushing of DFLS (63.33% and 65.00%), pest management (96.66% and 41.66%) and cocoon harvesting (53.33% and 70.00%), respectively. The profile characteristics such as, age, education, experience in sericulture, innovativeness, achievement motivation, management orientation, risk orientation, attitude towards sericulture, farming commitment, economic motivation, training in sericulture, extension agency contact, extension participation, mass media exposure, and farm scientist contact of both farm men and women were having a significant association with their participation level. It was also found that less than half of the farm men and women experienced ‘back ache’ while applying disinfectants (26.66% and 16.66%), and performing operations such as, heating and cooling the rearing houses (10.00% and 13.33%), feeding the silkworms (46.66% and 48.33%), and bed cleaning (41.66% and 43.33%) practices, respectively.