Pesticides under-dosing to cotton develops resistance not only in existing pests but in their next generations as well causing a big blow to the cotton crop for a long time. Agriculture experts including Rabia Sultan, Ibrahim Mughal and Director Pest Warning and Control Punjab Dr Ijaz Pervez told APP here on Sunday.
They said that use of sub-standard pesticides and under-dosing of even good quality pesticides are the most serious issues on which growers normally do not pay the required attention.
September is very crucial month for cotton crop and the growers must use their maximum potentials for saving the crop on which economy of the country is largely depending, they said.
Rabia Sultan, a farmer and leader of Farmer Associates Pakistan said that increased rains have washed out impact of pesticides in different pockets of cotton growing areas, therefore, there is a need to make fresh efforts to take care of the crop. She said, the growers need not to rely on some pesticides selling companies, which do not have long time working experience in Pakistan.
Ibrahim Mughal leader of farmer's organisation said that purposeful and targets specific pesticides should be used by the farmers.
He demanded increase in cotton support price for enabling the growers to spend more funds on protection of the crop. The Director Pest warning advised the farmers to conduct pest scouting of cotton crop twice a week regularly and use the recommended pesticides.
He further recommended that infested plants/spots should be encircled by making bands of dust with contact pesticides to check migration of virus to infested spots. Surrounding cotton plants and alternate hosts plants in the vicinity should be sprayed with four days interval with the recommended pesticides for the control of mealy bug, he added.