The Plant Direction of Agriculture Extension (PDAE) failed the combat Mealy Bug pest attack on cotton crop causing negative impact on cotton production. The Agriculture Department has established seven emergency centres in Mirpurkhas and Sanghar districts to help farmers to combat menace which sufficient damaged to standing crop.
The Director General Agriculture Extension Sindh Naeem Ahmed Korejo, while reviewing the progress of actions being taken in this respect at a meeting in his office here today, stated this.
These centres have been housed at the agriculture extension offices of Kot Ghulam Muhammad, Digri, Samaro, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Jam Nawaz ali and Sinjhoro.
Besides these centres, the DG Agriculture informed that two teams of experts of agriculture research and agriculture extension wings have also been constituted to monitor the affected crops and guide the farmers.
The DG has advised farmers to eradicate alternate host plants especially weeds from and around cotton fields, water channels and field bunds, carefully uproot severely infested plants and destroy them by burning and burying in the ground.
As infestation starts in patches especially at the border area, he said border application with effective insecticides would reduce its further spreading. On the advice of the local agriculture experts, two consecutive sprays of effective insecticides with 5-6 days gap are recommended, he added.
He further said that it should be ensured that field workers clothes and farm machinery is well cleaned, before entering pest-free fields. Field staff and farmers have also been advised to regularly monitor the cotton crop.
The experts informed that the infestation of the mealy bug is in pockets in Umerkot, Mirpurkhs, Sanghar, Miatri and Tando Allahyar districts and its intensity was low to medium they said farmers are being guided for control measures both preventive and combat and situation is under control.