Agriculture department issues advisory for cotton growers across Punjab

LAHORE: Agriculture Department Punjab on Wednesday issued advisory for cotton growers across Punjab, ARY News reported.

Spokesman Agriculture Department  said that new cotton boll formation is in process so farmers are advised to avoid water application at this stage. Water application may be irrigated after water scouting (a process through which make it clear that water should be applied to crop at this stage).

Farmers should also practice pest scouting twice a week and they should apply pesticide of different chemistry if damage level is above ETL (Economic Threshold Level). Pink boll-worm attack should be managed by apply sex trap pheromone.

Spokesman of Agriculture department also disclosed that clean cotton picking is acceptable in market and contamination free picking always ensure profitability to the farmers.

The agriculture department also advised farmers to start picking of cotton bolls after 9AM and stop the process at 4PM.

If there is a chance of rainfall then farmers are advised to postpone picking of cotton and labour involved in picking should use cotton clothes for this purpose and avoid to mix hair and other type of contamination to mix in cotton bolls so price of cotton in market may meet ideally.

Farmers should start picking of cotton when 50% bolls have become fully matured and start picking from lower part of the plant and gradually move upward as it is necessary because lower bolls may get damaged from drop of branches/ contamination if start picking from upper branches of plant.

“Avoid mixing of hairs falling from women involved in picking process. During picking process, only cotton boll should be extracted from cotton plant. Interval between one picking to another should be 15 to 20 days,” reads the statement issued by the department.

The statement concludes by advising farmers that plants effected from attack of pink boll-worm should be eliminated. Wages paid to labourers should be according to cleanliness of cotton picking so that they may be vigilant during picking process.