Farmers Urged To Take Steps To Cut Losses, Prevent Disease Outbreak
-Warangal: Dr A. Vijay Bhaskar, coordinator of Telangana Rythu Vignana Kendram, issued an urgent advice to farmers, urging them to take immediate measures to protect their crops, minimize losses and prevent disease outbreaks after heavy rains from Cyclone Montha submerged many fields and crops harvested in the erstwhile Warangal district were submerged in flood waters.
Dr. In his statement, Vijay Bhaskar advised that paddy (vari) at the milk harvest stage needs immediate attention. Fields should be emptied through channels and accumulated bunches should be carefully leveled. To prevent cluster mite and grain spot, farmers should spray a mixture of 200 ml Spiromesifen and 200 ml Propiconazole per acre. Wet, mature bunches should also be sprayed with a 5 percent salt solution to prevent germination.
For cotton (patti) crops affected by boll rot and wilt disease, he recommended spraying Copper Oxychloride (3 g per liter of water) at the plant base for wilt control. Boll rot can be managed by mixing Copper Oxychloride (30g) with Streptocycline (1g per 10 liters of water). Harvested cotton should be air dried and stored in plastic bags to prevent further damage.
Red gram (kandi), which is prone to phytophthora wilt due to waterlogging, should be treated after rains by wetting its base with Metalaxyl (2 g per liter of water). Corn (mokkajonna) cobs and kernels should be kept dry and thoroughly air dried before storage to prevent spoilage.
Root rot for pepper (mirapa) plants can be managed by base soaking with Copper Oxychloride (3 g per liter of water). Upward leaf curl caused by pests should be controlled using yellow and blue sticky traps and Fipronil spray (2ml per liter of water). In turmeric (pasupu), rhizome rot can be treated with the fungicide Metalaxyl plus Mancozeb and rhizome borer can be controlled using Carbofuran granules.
Dr Vijay Bhaskar also advised farmers to use residual soil moisture from recent rains for Rabi season sowing, encouraging them to plant rain-fed dry land crops such as maize, jowar, groundnut, green gram and black gram.
