MULTAN: Farmers Advisory Committee (FAC) issued a set of guidelines here Tuesday for cotton farmers applicable till June 15. Chaired by Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) director Multan, Dr Zahid Mahmood, the third FAC meeting noted that 90 percent of the cotton sowing has been completed in Sindh and Punjab and those yet to sow cotton were advised to maintain number of plants at 23000-35000 per acre and apply 8-10 kilogram seed per acre.
FAC experts recommended plant-to-plant distance at 6-9 inches while row-to-row distance at 2.5 feet, says a release issued by CCRI Multan spokesman Sajid Mahmood.
Farmers were further advised not to apply fertilizers during land preparation and instead do it after the diseased or weaker plants are removed.
Registered and certified seed should be applied after application of some suitable pesticides.
Farmers should apply a bag of SOP per acre in sandy areas, areas water-fed by tube wells or soil deficient in Potash, and where crop has entered flower or budding stage.
Dr Zahid said farmers should select the time of sowing and water application in accordance with weather conditions. Post-rain weeds must be removed at the earliest to avoid 30-50 percent potential production losses.
April sown crop in case of facing Thrips or Aphid attack beyond economic threshold level (ETL) then farmers should apply suitable pesticides after consulting agriculture officers.
A survey conducted by CCRI Multan showed pink bollworm attack in some areas where crop was passing through fruit stage.
To address this problem, farmers should apply 100-120 ml Spinetoram in 100 litres of water per acre.-APP