Tribune News Service
Mansa, August 7
Cotton crop in the Malwa belt has been attacked by parasitic diseases in some places. A sudden change in temperature after rains is believed to have caused parawilt disease in crops in many villages of Mansa district.
The disease is caused due to rains when the temperature is high. As per agricultural experts, parawilt is also caused when the crop is sown in saline water. Cotton crops in villages like Jatana Kalan, Naharan, Karandi, Khaira Khurd, Khaira Kalan, Jhanda Khurd, Jhanda Kalan in Mansa district have shown signs of parawilt.
The Agriculture Department has asked farmers not to panic over the attack as it could be controlled by spraying insecticides which are distributed free of cost by the government.
Mansa Chief Agriculture Officer Manjeet Singh said teams of agronomists had been sent to survey the farms after incidents of the attack came to light. He appealed to cotton growers to survey the crop every day and if any cotton leaves were seen withering, they should realise that the crop was in the grip of parawilt.
All block officers of the department have been asked to distribute parawilt medicine free of cost to farmers. An official said one gram of the drug should be dissolved in 100-litre water and sprayed on weedy plants. He said one spray of cobalt chloride was considered sufficient for the disease.
Crop infected with parawilt in Mansa
{$excerpt:n}
