The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Farm Advisory Service Centre (FASC) Sangrur recently conducted diagnostic visits to Kheri, Kamalpur, and Dhandoli Kalan villages in district Sangrur. The visits focused on identifying and addressing nutritional deficiencies in paddy and guava orchards and monitoring the incidence of foot rot in Basmati rice.
In the village of Kheri, Dr Ashok Kumar, District Extension Scientist (Soil Science), identified micronutrient deficiencies, specifically zinc and iron, in the guava orchard of S. Balwinder Singh. Dr. Kumar demonstrated how to recognize the symptoms of various micronutrient deficiencies in guava and pear trees. The farmer was provided zinc sulfate (21% Zn) for foliar spraying to combat zinc deficiency.
At village Dhandoli Kalan, severe symptoms of zinc deficiency were observed in paddy crops. After the symptoms were confirmed, farmers were guided on the immediate application of zinc sulfate as per PAU recommendations. While no insect pest infestations were noted, a few fields showed severe foot rot disease, particularly in the Mucchal variety of Basmati rice. Farmers were advised to remove and discard the affected plants to prevent the spread of the disease.
In Kamalpur, zinc deficiency was also observed in paddy and Basmati fields. Farmers were advised to apply a full dose of zinc sulfate, as previous applications were insufficient. The PAU team also visited adaptive research trials on paddy to understand the crop’s response to different treatments.
Read more: https://www.pau.edu/index.php?_act=manageEvent&DO=viewEventDetail&dataE=datae&intID=9370
