Growers advised to protect cotton crops from thrips

The Agriculture Department has advised the cotton growers to protect their cotton crops from thrips by taking preventive measures. In an advisory issued here on Saturday, a spokesman of the department said that attack of thrips start with the beginning of growth of cotton crop. Thrips suck juices of the crop from the lower part of the leaf.
Leaves of cotton crop decayed in case of severe attack of this pest and attack's severity increases in dry weather. The spokesman further stated that the growers should do pest scouting on regular basis to avoid attack of all sucking pests including thrips and if they found thrips attack of 8 to 10 thrips per leave then immediately spray some pesticides with the consultation of local agricultural experts. This would help increasing per acre yield of crop, the spokesman concluded.