Crop Advisory (2025-10-06 - 2025-10-12)

Mango: Continue the process of planting new saplings. Before establishing new orchards, have the soil and water tested. For mango cultivation, plant commercial varieties such as Sindhri, Chenab Gold, and Safaid Chaunsa. In orchards where gaps exist, fill them by planting new saplings. Select mango plants from a reliable nursery. The sapling should be bushy, about 2.5 to 3 feet tall, and 2 to 3 years old. For preparing a mango nursery, use healthy seeds (stones). Transfer germinated seedlings into polybags, and for grafting, use healthy scion wood from disease-free plants. Regularly monitor new flushes for leaf miner, leaf roller, leaf-cutting weevil, and mango hopper infestations. In case of attack, apply recommended insecticides. For trees that did not bear fruit this year but have produced a large number of new shoots, avoid nitrogenous fertilizers; instead, apply phosphorus and potash. Incorporate micronutrients such as boron, copper, and zinc into the soil. Irrigate as per crop requirement. For varieties where fertilizer has not yet been applied, apply it along with irrigation. Continue to observe new vegetative growth on mango plants. In orchards where pruning is required, carry out necessary trimming and thinning. To restore the health of weak or diseased trees, make trenches about 10 feet away from the trunk under the tree canopy. In large orchards, ensure the use of mulch around young or new plants for moisture conservation. Also, maintain the proper leveling of the orchard land for efficient management.

Cotton: Continue irrigation as per crop requirements and promote clean picking of cotton to ensure better market prices. Cotton picking should begin after 10 a.m. so that the dew on the crop has completely dried, as picking wet cotton affects the fiber color, reduces seed germination, and makes the seed unsuitable for oil extraction. Picking should be done from the lower parts of the plant upwards, and the interval between two consecutive pickings should not be less than 20 days. Picking should be stopped by 4 p.m. The picked cotton should be placed on a clean, dry cloth and stored in an elevated area to prevent contamination. Bolls affected by pink bollworm or any other insect should be kept separately and must not be mixed with healthy cotton. During picking, avoid plucking leaves, unripe, or half-open bolls. Regular pest scouting should be carried out in the field, and if the population of jassid, whitefly, or other sucking pests reaches the economic threshold level, appropriate insecticides should be applied, keeping weather conditions in view. Also, regularly monitor the pheromone traps installed for pink bollworm detection and avoid unnecessary insecticide sprays for its control.

Sugarcane: Pay special attention to the irrigation of sugarcane. Considering the prevailing weather conditions, maintain an irrigation interval of 20 to 30 days as per crop requirements. For the ratoon crop, apply 5 kilograms of potash per acre with each irrigation through flooding. In ratoon fields, remove and destroy diseased plants to prevent the spread of infection. For the physical control of sugarcane borers, install light traps and strictly follow the recommendations of the Agriculture Department. To control black bug infestation in sugarcane, apply Bifenthrin at the rate of 250 milliliters per acre as recommended.