It is very important to protect the crop from diseases for good yield of cotton. Last year itself, the crop of North Zone was badly damaged due to pink bollworm disease. The danger of this disease was not over yet that the danger of white fly disease also started looming on the Punjab crop. Yes, in 2015, this pest damaged more than 3 lakh hectares of cotton crop in the semi-arid region. After seven years, the state agriculture department is once again preparing to fight the menace of whitefly. Experts have suggested farmers not to cultivate moong to avoid this danger.
Actually, moong and seasonal horticultural crops are known for whitefly. Experts say that farmers should avoid planting their beans near cotton fields. Unconventionally large areas of cotton growing districts have opted for 60-day long moong crop this year after harvesting rabi wheat and mustard, raising serious concerns about whitefly disease this year.
After a hiatus of seven years, the state's agriculture department is again gearing up to fight the whitefly menace and experts say moong cultivation is an important factor contributing to the current pest warnings for the cotton crop in the Malwa belt. Is.
Even as the Punjab government is promoting moong in summer, agricultural experts have warned against short-term legume cultivation to stem the threat of deadly whitefly attack on the cotton crop, which is considered the economic lifeline of farmers. Is. Malwa belt.
In 2015, the pest infestation damaged more than 3 lakh hectares of cotton crop in the semi-arid region. After a hiatus of seven years, the state's agriculture department is again gearing up to fight the whitefly menace and experts say moong cultivation is an important factor contributing to the current pest alert. Kumar said an expert committee in 2016 had strongly recommended against the cultivation of moong in South Malwa, following the gruesome whitefly attack. “With the unconventional large areas of cotton-growing districts opting to grow a 60-day long moong crop this year after harvesting the rabi crops of wheat and mustard, this time the white fly raised a serious concern. Moong and seasonal horticultural crops are known for whitefly and farmers should avoid growing legumes around cotton fields,” he said, adding that hot and dry conditions in this kharif season are favorable for whitefly and the pest can attack the surrounding cotton. go to plants.
“After the infection in 2015-16, a well-coordinated campaign was launched and thereafter whitefly did not affect cotton. Agencies should prepare a dedicated pest management plan to fight whitefly in moong if they want to promote the cultivation of pulses. But the risk of cash crop should be avoided,” said Vijay Kumar, principal entomologist, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU). He is also a member of an inter-state advisory and monitoring committee of the cotton growing states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
For the first time this year, around 1.25 lakh acres of area was brought under moong cultivation which was almost 80% more than in 2021, when the crop was cultivated in Rabi Zaid (the third crop sown between Rabi and Kharif seasons). 55,000 acres were used for
The jump in acreage of moong was attributed after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann assured to buy the crop at an MSP of Rs 7,225 per quintal. As a measure to further encourage moong cultivation, Mann announced that the state government would pay up to ₹1,000 per quintal as compensation to farmers selling their crops below the MSP in the market. Information from different districts states that the moong crop has reported an attack of yellow mosaic virus, indicating a widespread whitefly population in the region. Mansa's Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) Manjit Singh said that the white fly is the carrier of the virus. “This year the moong harvesting period is going on and cotton has seen an increase in whitefly cases. Though the situation is under control, we will encourage the farmers to avoid moong from next season.
Gurpreet Singh, CAO of Muktsar, another major cotton producing district, said the whitefly feeds on cotton and other plants and it reduces the photosynthetic activities of the plant and affects the yield more severely.
“Cultivation of legumes is ideal for paddy growing areas as the deadly polyphagous pest feeds on cotton plants and not on paddy. Farmers in cotton growing areas should stay away from moong to reduce whitefly infestation.
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