Farmers Told To Destroy Remains Of Sugarcane, Rice, Cotton, Maize

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Dec, 2016 ) : Agriculture experts have said that remains of crops including sugarcane, rice, maize and cotton must be removed and destroyed after harvest to avoid threat of pest attack on the next crop.

Insect pests are usually hidden inside remains of crops and spend winter there after the harvest. Destruction of remains of crops would kill the pests and next crop would be safe to a greater extent, experts said in a statement issued by media liaison unit of Punjab Agriculture department here Wednesday.

It will reduce cost of pesticides on the next crops and enhance per acre production. Cutting the sugarcane crop from ground level will kill the pests to a great extent while application of Rotovator would do the rest.

Pests also spend winter sleep inside remains of paddy, maize and Chari, a fodder crop. Farmers should apply Rotovator after the harvest. Farmers should leave animals for grazing in the cotton field after the last picking so that they eat all the remains of the crop from the field.

Cotton farmers should remove cotton sticks and their roots before January 31, experts said adding that it will keep the next crop safe from white fly, American Bollworm and Pink Bollworm to a great extent. Grazing by animals in field vacated by cotton was necessary as the pink bollworm spend winter within the double seed inside the cotton bolls.