MULTAN: Farmers Advisory Committee (FAC) has issued a set of guidelines to cotton farmers applicable till July 31 advising them to avoid applying water or do only light irrigation in the evening to the crop in case of rain expectations.

The fourth meeting of FAC chaired by Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) Multan director Dr Zahid Mahmood held at CCRI advised the farmers to opt for cotton picking before rain to preserve quality in case 8-10 bolls were found to be open on each plant in the field, head of the technology transfer wing of CCRI Multan Sajid Mahmood said on Friday.

In case of emergence of white flowers at the top of plants, farmers should reduce water application duration.

Farmers whose crop has attained the height of 2.5 feet or above must refrain from hoeing by tractor or perform hoeing by such tools that do not hurt plants. Cotton sown for the purpose of obtaining seed should immediately undergo ginning after picking process and the lint so obtained should be dried. Moreover, other plants in such fields should be removed to maintain purity of the seed. Farmers should analyze the germination strength of healthy cotton seed and those found to be having good germination strength should be dried up and packed in jute or cotton bags and placed at some well-ventilated place.

Plants’ food requirements increase with the boll formation process and shortage of water or fertilizers at this stage leave the boll size smaller, Sajid said, adding that at least a bag of Urea or Calcium Ammonium Nitrate or Ammonium Sulphate be applied per acre.

Moreover, mixture of 300 gram Zinc Sulphate, 200 gm Boric Acid, and 300 gram Magnesium Sulphate in 100 litres of water be sprayed per acre.