Under the aegis of the Directorate of Extension Education,17.07.2024 Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, the Farm Advisory Service Centre (FASC) in Sangrur conducted a survey on the incidence of pink bollworm and whitefly attacks on cotton crops in the villages of Khokhar Khurd, Sangatpura, Gidharyani, and Haryau in the Lehragaga block of Sangrur district.
Giving details, Dr Ashok Kumar DES Soil Science , informed that this year, the cotton cultivation area in Sangrur and Malerkotla districts has decreased to 235 hectares, down from 1,100 hectares last year and that no incidence of pink bollworm at any surveyed locations has been reported.
“However, the whitefly population at most locations exceeded the Economic Threshold Level (ETL), ranging from 8.3 to 23 whiteflies per leaf”, he cautioned.
Farmers were advised on appropriate measures, including spraying Osheen 20 SG (dinotefuran) at a rate of 60 g/acre. They were also guided on the recommended doses of urea and other nutrients, along with applying four sprays of 2% potassium nitrate (13:0:45) at weekly intervals starting from flower initiation to achieve higher yields. Regular monitoring was emphasized as a highly effective strategy for managing whitefly and pink bollworm.
Sh. Jarnail Khan, a progressive farmer, assisted the team by facilitating field visits to other farmers growing cotton.
Read more: https://www.pau.edu/index.php?_act=manageEvent&DO=viewEventDetail&dataE=datae&intID=9315
