Night-time temperature in agriculture plains of the country is expected to drop by maximum two degree centigrade till Dec1, Met Office has said. However, daytime temperature is expected to be normal in the plains, the office said, asking the farmers to cultivate winter vegetables on time to utilise existing soil moisture for an improved yield.
Farmers of rain-dependent areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab should complete cultivate Rabi crops at earliest. "The status of soil moisture is very suitable after rains in the season," it said. Growers in rain-dependent parts should sow Rabi crops in November, it said, warning that the delay cultivation may cause reduction to the wheat crop. "After this, yield of wheat crop decreases gradually," it said.
The office urged the farmers for timely precautionary measures to protect livestock from expected dry and cold weather in the coming days. It said that the farmers of cotton cropped areas should prepare fields for next Rabi crops and complete sowing timely. It advised that farmers of irrigated areas in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should finish sowing of wheat crop in November. "Late verities may be cultivated in December," it said.
Mainly dry weather is expected in Punjab but scattered light to moderate rainfall over hills till December 1. Dry weather has been forecast for Sindh. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, mainly cold and dry weather is expected with light to moderate rainfall and snowfall in scattered places in Hazara, Malakand, Mardan, Peshawar and Kohat divisions. Largely hot and dry weather is likely in most parts of Balochistan with light to moderate rain. In Gilgit-Baltistan, dry weather is expected with light to moderate rain and snowfall in Gilgit and Skardu. Light to moderate rainfall with snowfall is expected in most of the parts of Kashmir in Rawalakot, Muzzaffarabad and Kotli divisions during the period. Normal wind pattern may prevail in the most of agricultural plains of the country.