PAU advises farmers to protect crops from frost

With temperatures in Punjab dipping to around 4°C, and even lower in some areas, the Department of Climate Change and Agricultural Meteorology (CCAM) at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) issued an advisory to farmers. The department urged farmers to closely monitor their fields and take necessary measures to protect their crops, orchards and vegetables from the potential damage caused by frost, which is expected to be more likely in the coming days.

On Thursday, Faridkot recorded the state’s lowest minimum temperature at 1.0°C, while Bathinda reached a maximum of 24.4°C. Ludhiana’s temperatures ranged from a minimum of 7.8°C to a maximum of 21.8°C.

According to Dr PK Khingra, head of CCAM, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted cold wave conditions in the region for the next three-four days.

Dr AS Dhatt, director of research at PAU, emphasised that vegetables and newly planted orchards were particularly vulnerable to frost.

To mitigate the impact, he recommended that farmers could provide light irrigation to crops to moderate the microclimate and ensure the plants remain hydrated. He also advised using balanced fertilisers and applying mulches and protection barriers.

For fruit orchards, Dr Dhatt suggested farmers to start protecting young evergreen plants from the cold weather. Farmers planning to establish new orchards of pear, peach, plum, grapes, or fig should also begin preparatory work. PAU experts also recommended to irrigate sugarcane crops around mid-December to prevent frost damage.

Additionally, early maturing sugarcane varieties should be harvested or crushed for mill purposes to avoid frost-related losses.