MULTAN: Cotton growers have been advised to use cotton-cloth bags during picking, keep pest-infested and ground-fallen cotton separate, and preserve only high-quality seed to maintain crop quality and prevent pink bollworm infestation in the next season.
The recommendations were issued by the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) here, at its 12th meeting of the Farmers Advisory Committee, chaired by Director Dr Sabahat Hussain. Agricultural experts from various departments attended the meeting and reviewed the current status of the cotton crop.
The committee advised farmers to start picking from the lower part of plants and gradually move upwards to minimise the inclusion of leaves and other impurities. Picking should begin only after the dew has dried, while cotton fallen on the ground must not be mixed with clean produce. Cotton from pink bollworm-infested bolls should also be picked carefully and stored separately.
For seed preservation, growers cultivating cotton for seed production were advised to complete picking of selected bolls as soon as possible. The produce should be properly sun-dried before ginning, and its germination capacity tested. Only seed with a germination rate above 80 per cent should be retained for the next crop. Seed moisture should be maintained at around 10 per cent before storage, and different varieties should be stored separately to maintain their identity and purity.
The committee also recommended applying two kilogrammes of urea mixed in 100 litres of water in fields having eight to 10 green bolls per plant to help the remaining bolls open.
For pink bollworm control, farmers with eight to 10 bolls per plant who had not installed pheromone traps were advised to monitor infestation and use chemical control where necessary. Recommended options included Spinetoram at 100 millilitres per acre, a mixture of chlorantraniliprole and lambda-cyhalothrin at 160 millilitres per acre, or a mixture of deltamethrin and triazophos at 100 millilitres per acre, each mixed with 100 litres of water. Farmers were advised to follow approved product labels and consult agricultural experts before spraying.
To reduce the risk of pink bollworm infestation in the next season, the committee recommended allowing sheep and goats to graze in cotton fields after the final picking or using the CCRI Multan Pink Bollworm Machine to destroy unopened and infested bolls left on plants. These measures could help reduce pest reproduction and protect the next crop.
The committee also stressed that cotton selected for seed preservation should remain free from pink bollworm infestation and rain damage. Farmers were advised to complete the recommended measures by October 31 to prepare for the next cotton season.