ADOPTION OF INNOVATIONS IN THE CULTIVATION OF CHILE IN THE HIGHLANDS OF SAN LUIS POTOSI

The objective was to calculate the Innovation Adoption Index (IAI) and the Innovation Adoption Rate (IAR) of chili producers in the Altiplano Potosino, through semi-structured surveys.The analysis of the Adoption Rate of Innovations showed that the most adopted innovations (100% of interviewed producers) were in the category of land preparation (disk plow and harrow), planting (transplanting dates and varieties recommended by the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP)), fertilization (use chemical fertilizer) and sustainable management (use of traps for pest control).The results showed that the most innovative producers adopted up to 81% of the evaluated innovations described in the catalog for the chili crop, while the least innovative made only 53%, generating a gap of 28%; it was also found that 60% of producers surveyed have a higher than average IAI (69%).The categories of the catalog of innovations studied, the most adopted were: fertilization, sanitation and harvesting.