Assistant Director Agriculture Information Abdus Samad said that farmers should follow off-season management to protect the next crop of cotton from pests and enhance per acre production.
In a statement issued here, the Assistant Director observed that cotton was one of major crops in the country and about 70 percent of its total production was produced in Punjab province. Different factors and stages play an important role in achieving good and better cotton production. In view of the attack of Pink Bollworm on the cotton crop, effective strategies can be adopted during the winter to protect the next cotton crop from the damage done by the pest, he said and added, pink bollworm goes into hibernation in December and spends the winter asleep in seeds, leftovers on sticks and in the rubbish of ginning factories.
Winter hibernation depends largely on temperature, he said. Abdus Samad said that when the right temperature was reached, it caused loss to the next crop. Farmers can adopt strategies during the winter to protect the upcoming cotton crop from the damage, he suggested. The farmers, he said should seek guidance from the experts of the Agriculture Department.
After the last picking, graze the sheep and goats in the fields so that the raw cotton boll can become food for the animals and the larvae of pink bollworm can be eradicated.
Cotton sticks should be cut and used by January 31 and when piled up, keep them in small bundles so that the stems are at the bottom and it will help destroy larvae in the sticks through sun light, he expressed.
