The Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD) has advised the cotton growers to sow their crop between April 15 to May 15 and only use approved varieties of BT or Hybrid cotton seeds.In an advisory issued here on Thursday, a PAD spokesman also warned the owners of ginning factories, kilns and oil factories owners to complete destroy their ginning waste by March 31 so as to avoid the attack of pink bollworm.
The spokesman also urged upon the cotton growers to follow the off-season management formula introduced by the agriculture department which was aimed at pest management and saving the crops from pest attacks. He said that this would help reducing the cost per acre and improving the yield. He stated that the department also launched a campaign to eradicate the cotton bolls infected with pink bollworm in which students, workers of pesticide companies, employees of agriculture department and farmers participated.
They eliminated 500 maund cotton bolls. The spokesman urged the growers to take preventive measures before time to save their crop from different pests such as pink bollworm, red cotton bug, white fly and others. He said the department has formulated 23 points strategy to tackle these pests including biological control.