Multan: The Punjab Agriculture Department has issued guidelines for cotton growers to control destructive pests affecting the crop.
According to the guidelines, farmers should conduct pest scouting twice a week to check for whitefly and remove weeds from cotton fields and surrounding areas. Whitefly on alternate host crops should also be controlled in time.
Farmers were advised to ensure the cotton crop does not face water shortage and to irrigate according to crop needs and weather conditions.
For whitefly control, growers should install 20 yellow sticky cards per acre and reapply adhesive glue every 15 days. Spray should only be carried out on the advice of local agriculture department staff once the economic threshold of five adult or nymph whiteflies, or both combined, per leaf is reached.
Farmers were urged to avoid repeated use of pesticides from the same chemical group and to calibrate spray machines before application, preferably using hollow cone nozzles or power sprayers.
The guidelines also call for controlling cotton jassid on alternate host crops, particularly okra and brinjal grown near cotton fields. Spray should be carried out on expert advice if jassid infestation reaches the economic threshold of one adult or nymph per leaf.
For thrips control, farmers should conduct pest scouting at least twice a week and eliminate weeds in and around cotton fields. Water shortage should be avoided, as thrips cause maximum damage during hot and dry weather. Spray should be applied on the advice of local agriculture experts once the economic threshold of eight to ten adults or nymphs per leaf is reached.
To detect pink bollworm infestation in time, farmers should conduct pest scouting twice a week. For monitoring, one to two pheromone traps per acre should be installed, while nine to twelve traps per acre are recommended for complete control. Pheromone capsules should be replaced every 15 days, or long-duration pheromones may be used. Additionally, 20 Trichogramma cards per acre should be installed and replaced every 15 days.