PAU Ludhiana issued caution warning through ‘All Kheti Sandesh’ to farmers on this week’s bulletin on their website. For the coming week, weather is likely to remain cold and dry in Punjab. Ground frost conditions are a threat especially for the newly planted crops and vegetables.
General advisory for farmers
Farmers are advised to only provide light irrigation to crops as there remains conditions of frost formation. The vegetables are to be covered with thatches and smoke is advised to be spread in the fruit orchards.
For field crops like wheat, crops need to be provided with controlled weedicide to control the spread of Phalaris minor. Symptoms of sulphur deficiency can be reduced by putting one quintal of gypsum per acre followed by light irrigation for soil lacking moisture. Moreover, regular survey is essential to avoid conditions of yellow rust formation.
For flowering oilseeds, avoiding irrigation to sarson and raya is advised in order to manage the Sclerotinia stem rot. In sugarcane plants, the attack of larvae of stalk borers in the stubbles can be regulated by destroying the collected stumps and avoiding ratooning of infested fields.
To protect the vegetables from the harsh winters, mulching can be performed on plants of cauliflower, spinach, fenugreek, coriander, radish, turnip, pea, tomato, brinjal, chilli and capsicum which will help heat loss from the surface. Cautions must be taken towards aphid’s attack on potatoes; regular surveys are advised during these days.
Protection of evergreen fruits are to be taken into account especially for the young plants from this severe cold wave. Thatching is encouraged with paddy straw, doob grass, date palm leaves, as they are long and can be kept erect exposing the sun side of the plants for sunlight.
Plantation of new orchards of pear, peach, plum, grapes, fig can be taken into account. Farm manure and other organic manures can be applied to all major fruit plants expect for guava and ber. Apart from this to manage the infestation of mango mealy bug, alkathane sheets can be wrapped tightly around the trunks of the tree for this month.
Advisory for dairy farmers
The advisory said that special care must be taken for dairy animals as low temperature outside can reduce their body temperature. In order to avoid this, animals can be given more food to eat. According to scientists, cows and buffalos giving 7 and 5 kgs of milk respectively have to be fed 25-30 Kg leguminous green and 7-8 kg dry fodder, 2-3 Kg compounded feed and 30-40 grams of mineral daily.
