The agriculture experts urged farmers to strictly implement off-season management practices before sowing early cotton to protect the crop from the attack of pink bollworm which is a highly destructive pest that severely reduces yield and deteriorates cotton quality.
A spokesperson for the Agriculture (Extension) department said that the off-season management of pink bollworm was imperative as this pest has no alternate host plant, making it possible to effectively destroy its population through timely preventive measures.
He said that proper off-season practices could help protect the upcoming cotton crop from infestation and avert potential production losses.
If cotton sticks were to be stored for use as fuel, the farmers should make small bundles and stack them with the lower ends facing downward so that exposure to sunlight could eliminate moths emerging from leftover bolls before the next cotton season, he added. He said that cotton waste at ginning factories, along with pink bollworm larvae present in the form of double seeds, must be destroyed under all circumstances.
He advised that piles or bundles of cotton sticks should be regularly turned over to ensure destruction of pupae present in debris underneath. The ginning factories must also adopt effective measures for the elimination of pink bollworm larvae. All these steps should be completed preferably before early cotton sowing to prevent yield reduction and ensure healthy crop production, he added.