Another corona patient dies in Multan

MULTAN: Another corona patient died at the Nishtar Hospital here on Friday. The deceased was identified as Muhammad Ali Yasir of Multan.

A spokesperson for the hospital said that 72 corona patients were under treatment at the hospital, including 24 positive, 16 suspects and 32 negative. He informed that 718 corona tests were conducted at public and private hospitals in Multan division during the last 24 hours and 29 patients tested corona positive.

Attack of aphids on wheat crop feared: The South Punjab Agriculture Department has warned of a severe attack of aphids on wheat crop and asked the growers to adopt precautionary measures.

Talking to The News here on Friday, South Punjab Agriculture Secretary Saqib Ali Ateel said that aphids could attack on wheat crops in this season so farmers should inspect their crop regularly for integrated control. The aphid attacks the wheat crop in the form of fragments so as soon as the attack was seen, shake the plants in the affected parts of the field with a rope and drop the aphids, he told. Herbs grown around skins and fields also help the growth of aphids, he informed. He said that the farmers should ensure the destruction of weeds from the crop. In case of aphids attack, spray the wheat crop with plain water and power sprayer from time to time with pressure, he suggested. In this regard, useful insects of the wheat crop such as ladybird beetle, spiders and parasitic insects were also present, he continued. These pests could be useful against aphid attack, he maintained.

Saqib Ali said that these useful insects were being developed in the biological laboratories set up at Vehari, Layyah and Muzaffargarh. The useful insects were provided to the farmers free of cost from these laboratories, he informed. Farmers could avail this facility from the Department of Agriculture for biological control, he added. Farmers should use pesticides on the wheat crop sparingly and in the most urgent case in consultation with the field staff of the Department of Agriculture as it was a part of our diet and excessive spraying could adversely affect it, he told.