Strategy to save cotton from pest attack

LAHORE: The Punjab Agriculture Department has started off-season management of cotton for minimising possibility of pest attack on next crop.

According to spokesman for Agriculture Department Punjab, off-season management strategy adopted well before cotton sowing would minimise the chances of attack by pink bollworm and other pests. It is in the interest of cotton grower to adopt off-season management strategy after last picking of cotton crop.

He said that early harvest and stalk destruction are among the most effective practice for managing overwintering bollworms if done on an area wise basis. These practices reduce habitat and food available to the pink bollworm. Shred cotton stalks after harvesting at the earliest possible date and do not allow stubble to re-grow or volunteer seedlings to remain within fields or surrounding field margins or drainage system banks.

He warned that if a thorough stalk destruction programme is not carried out, the benefits of the pest management programme can be reduced significantly. The spokesman disclosed that ginning waste should also be destroyed for high yield of cotton as this waste serves as nursery for pink bollworm.