MULTAN: Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel said on Wednesday cotton would witness enhanced per acre yield in 2021 as compared to last year and deliver good profits to farmers as picking got underway in some parts of the cotton belt in southern Punjab.
Saqib conducted visits to cotton areas and demonstration plots in Lodhran, Vehari and Mailsi and was happy to note that the boll size was bigger, number of plants higher with more number of flowers and fruit.
‘Its time for farmers to reap fruit of their hard work and resources invested in cotton, ” he said adding that the price of Phutti was over Rs 5000 per maund. He said that first picking was delivering good results.
He discussed with farmers issues relating to cotton picking and crop management and advised them to pick clean cotton to attract premium price.
He also instructed them to pay attention to counter white fly, pink bollworm and mealy bug attack where witnessed. He, however, added that overall pest pressure on cotton was under control.
To counter pink bollworm, he advised spray of Gamasai 100ml per acre in last week of August. Second spray of botanical extracts 600 gram Colocynth (Kortumma), 600 gm Sodom Apple (Aak), 10 gm asafoetida (Hing), 600 gm Neem and 600 gm tobacco per acre be applied to tackle white fly. In first week of September, three days after botanical extracts, 100 ml per acre spray of Spinetoram be applied. Then plants extracts spray be repeated after four days. In the second week, three days after plant extract spray, 250 ml Deltamethrine plus 600 ml Triezophos be applied per acre. In case of intense mealy bug attack, 70 ml Profenophos, 40 ml Emidacloprid or 80 ml Melathiyan, 30 ml Clothinadin, and 50 ml Biphenthrine in 20 liters of water each be sprayed per acre. Crop must not be water stressed during fruit stage and Nitrogen fertilizers application be completed till Aug end