Cotton Production Technology Sans Pesticides, Fertilizers Under Consideration

South Punjab Agriculture Secretary Saqib Ali Ateel Monday witnessed low-cost environment friendly cotton production technology at Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) experimental farm and asked researchers to collect data so the technology could be compared with others and recommended next year subject to delivering good yield

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jun, 2021 ) :South Punjab Agriculture Secretary Saqib Ali Ateel Monday witnessed low-cost environment friendly cotton production technology at Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) experimental farm and asked researchers to collect data so the technology could be compared with others and recommended next year subject to delivering good yield.

The technology involved no application of pesticides and fertilizers but still the crop was in good condition with low pest incidence, Saqib observed during visit to the CCRI experimental farm, according to an official release.

He said that the technique should be compared with other methods to check difference of production and calculate the cost on application of pesticides.

This technique would be recommended to farmers next year with complete production technology if found positive, Saqib said.

CCRI director Dr. Zahid Mahmood informed that land under this technique is prepared in a special way and does not require repeated ploughing.

He said that beds should be 42 inch wide separated by 18-inch furrows. These beds and furrows are prepared on a permanent basis only once and does not require exercise next year and so on. He said that paddy husk is spread on beds as mulching while wheat husk is spread on furrows to keep the soil temperature normal even during extreme hot weather conditions.

In this way, plant consumes less water and its food requirements are also met easily. It carried another double advantage, the spokesman said adding that it keeps germs responsible for soil fertility safe from extreme hot sunlight besides saving organic material in soil that keep increasing gradually.

This technique required very low application of fertilizers, water and other agriculture implements and reduce cost of production considerably. This technology also increases cotton production, the spokesman said. He said that the paddy and wheat husk spread on beds and furrows later mix in soil and improve its fertility.

Another important benefit is that excessive rains do not hurt crop and there is no growth of weeds.

The spokesman said that existing techniques were not only involved higher cost of production but also compromise soil fertility adding that plant consumes its whole energy in tackling extreme hot weather conditions which ultimately increases cost on agriculture implements.

Director Cotton Dr. Sagheer Ahmad, Prof. Dr. Shafqat Saeed, deputy secretary Asif Raza, and other officials were present.