International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol.14, No.1, 31-37 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 33 Where, P= Production of apples in tons; A= Area under apple production in hectares 2 Results and Analysis 2.1 Data analysis The information collected from the field was first coded and entered into the computer. Data entry and analysis were done by using computer software packages like the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Microsoft EXCEL based on the need was used for further data analysis. 2.1.1 The model for the study Multiple linear regression analysis was done to determine the factors influencing Apple's productivity, assuming that there is a relationship between the many independent variables used and the dependent variable. The proposed equation of the multiple regression model was as follows: Ln (Y productivity) = α+β1 lnX1+ β2 lnX2+ β3 lnX3+ β4 lnX4+ β5X5 Where, lnY= natural log of the productivity which was the dependent variable; X1 to X4 were the independent variables and X5 was the dummy independent variable; α = intercept made on the regression line; β1 to β5 are the coefficients of variables 2.1.2 Indexing Problems for the production of the apple were ranked with the help of the relative importance index / forced ranking technique using a five-point scaling technique. The problems were ranked from I to V (I being major constraint and V being minor constraints). The formula given below was used to find the index for the intensity of production problems faced by producers. Iimp=∑ 푆 � 푖 푖 Where, Iimp = Index of importance; ∑ = Summation; Si = Ith scale value; Fi = Frequency of ith importance given by the respondents; N = Total number of respondents 2.2 Results The results of the socio-demographic characteristics of the continuous variable of the sampled respondents (Table 1) showed that the average household size was found to be 6.66 with a standard deviation of 2.277, which was higher than that of the national average family size of 4.27 (NPHC, 2021). The average male and female members of the household were found to be 3.30 and 3.36, respectively. The average area of apples in hectares was found to be 0.519 hectares with the minimum and maximum area of 0.13 and 1.8 hectares, respectively. Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics (continuous variable) of sampled respondents Variables Minimum Maximum Mean Standard deviation Household size 3 14 6.66 2.277 Male members of Household 1 8 3.30 1.289 Female members of Household 1 8 3.36 1.465 Economically active members 2 13 4.76 1.884 Dependent members 0 7 1.90 1.385 Total apple cultivated land (ha) 0.13 1.8 0.519 0.352 The results of the socio-demographic characteristics of the categorical variable of the sampled respondents (Table 2) showed that out of 70 respondents, 47 (67.1%) were males and 23 (32.9%) were females. The reason may be due to the more active involvement of males in apple farming while females are involved in household activities. Most of the respondents (38.6%) had a secondary level of education. 14.3% were illiterate, 21.4% were educated to the primary level and 25.7% were educated to the higher secondary level. The average literacy rate of the study area was 85.7%. Most of the respondents have access to irrigation facilities and extension services. Soil testing is done by only 35.7% of the respondents. Most of the respondents (38.6%) were not involved in any sectors. This
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