Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

This study analyzes varietal diversification in paddy cultivation across 107 households in the Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh, categorized into marginal (36.45%), small (27.10%), medium (21.50%), and large (14.95%) farms, with a total of 554 family members. Marginal households make up the largest share (35.74%). Paddy is the dominant crop during the Kharif season, with an average family size of 5.24 and a balanced gender distribution (53.97% males, 46.03% females). Swarna is the most widely grown paddy variety, covering 84.02 ha (40.62%) of the total cultivated area and adopted by 39 farmers (36.45%). It is particularly popular among marginal and large farms. Mahamaya ranks second, covering 41.77 ha (20.28%), while HMT accounts for 31.26 ha (15.11%). Other varieties, such as MTU 1010, MTU 1001, and Vishnu Bhog, cover smaller areas, contributing to moderate varietal diversity. The diversity index varies across farm-size categories. Marginal farmers show a diversity index of 0.75, while small farmers have the highest diversity index (0.83), reflecting greater varietal diversification. Medium farmers show a diversity index of 0.77, whereas large farmers recorded the lowest diversity index (0.72). Swarna remains the dominant variety across all farm-size categories. The overall diversity index is 0.76, indicating considerable varietal diversification in the study area. While Swarna is the most prevalent variety, other varieties such as Mahamaya and HMT contribute to production stability and varietal diversification. The findings suggest that improving farmers' access to quality seed, strengthening local seed production systems, and enhancing awareness of improved paddy varieties may further promote varietal diversification and sustainable paddy production in the study area.