The Agriculture Department of Punjab province has advised cotton growers to remove crop remains from fields in addition to ploughing the fields as early as possible to minimise the chances of pest attacks on next crops. According to information available with WealthPK, Punjab Agriculture Department said that pink bollworm is the worst enemy of cotton crops, which causes colossal loss in cotton production. Therefore, it said, farmers should adopt the off-season cotton management strategy to save their next crop from pests attack.

Pink bollworm goes into winter nap during November and December and its eggs remain present on cotton seeds, branches and dried leaves in farms and ginning factories. When it gets sufficient temperature after winter, it again becomes active. The Agriculture Department said farmers should cut stems of cotton crops nearer to earth and keep them in the sunshine to eliminate pink bollworm, its larva and eggs as much as possible. It said the remains of cotton crops at growers’ farms and in ginning factories should be burnt besides using rotavator ploughing in the cotton fields after completely harvesting the crop and its remains so that next crop could be saved from the attack of pests.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk