Punjab Issue Schedule For Sowing Of Registered Cotton Varieties

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Mar, 2021 ) :Agriculture department Punjab has issued schedule for sowing of registered cotton varieties and advised farmers to complete sowing of registered Bt cotton varieties from April 1 to May 31.

Agriculture spokesman said in a statement here Friday that IUB-13, MNH-886, BS-15, Niab-878, and FH-142 were the registered Bt cotton varieties and advised farmers that in case of other specific districts, they can sow other registered Bt cotton varieties after consulting local agriculture experts.

He said that farmers should sow only the registered varieties adding that sowing of unregistered varieties can lower production.

Farmers were told to sow traditional cotton varieties in main cotton producing areas from Apr 1 to May 31 while sowing in other areas should be completed from Apr 1 to May 15.

He further advised to cover 10 per cent of their areas with non-Bt varieties so that attacking pests do not develop resistance against Bt varieties.

He said that registered seed can be obtained from Punjab seed corporation or registered private seed dealers.

Fur-free seed having 75 per cent germination strength should be sown at the rate of six (6) kilogram per acre while the seed with fur be sown at the rate of eight (8) kilogram per acre.

In case of 60 per cent germination strength, fur-free seed be sown at the rate of eight (8) kilogram per acre while seed with fur be sown at the rate of ten (10) kilogram per acre.

Six to eight kilogram seed per acre be sown in case of sowing on beds.

Maintaining standard in per acre plant population can give good production, he said adding that plant population in case of April sown crop should be 17500 per acre.

Such land be selected for sowing which has organic material in good quantity, can absorb water and retain moisture for longer duration.

Deeper layers of soil should not be hard to let roots of plants expand and make access of water to roots easy.

Farmers should apply deep-plough after every three years to keep deeper layers of soil softer.

Laser land leveler should be applied for leveling the field.