Pink bollworm attack has Abohar cotton farmers concerned

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, August 6

A team of scientists from Punjab Agricultural University and the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare conducted a survey of narma cotton fields in Sappanwali, Kundal, Sardarpura, Diwankhera, Kular, Dhaba Kokrian, Gobindgarh, Sayeed Wali, Gidderanwali, Tajapatti, Jhumianwali and Alamgarh villages.

Last year, farmers had suffered heavily due to white fly attack, besides incessant rain in Abohar in July, but the girdawari report for compensation was not finalised even in the past 12 months, farmers said.

The team comprised PAU scientists Dr PK Arora, Dr Jagdish Arora, Dr Manpreet Singh, Dr Sandeep Raheja, Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Gurmeet Singh Cheema, Dr Nagin Goyal, Dr Gagandeep. They issued an advisory to farmers regarding insecticide spray and use of fertilisers in the current situation.

They said the outbreak of pink bollworm was being seen on flowers again. In such a case, farmers should continuously visit the fields and spray the insecticide recommended by the PAU to prevent the spread of the disease.

Meanwhile, Gurpreet Singh, a state awardee farmer in Pattisadiq village, informed The Tribune that pink bollworm insects were visible in the traps that he had affixed in his cotton field. He has sought the advice from the PAU about it.