Pink caterpillar attack on BT cotton in Sri Ganganagar, advice to farmers
By shruti lashkari 2025-07-10 17:56:01
Danger of pink caterpillar in BT cotton: Insect seen in fields in Sri Ganganagar, Agriculture Department advised farmers
Infestation of pink caterpillar has been seen on BT cotton crop in some fields of Sri Ganganagar. As soon as the presence of the insect was confirmed, the Agriculture Department swung into action and issued guidelines to alert farmers and take precautions. The department has advised that if necessary steps are not taken in time, the crop may suffer heavy losses.
Appeal to pay special attention to seed, distance and weeds
Assistant Director of Agriculture Department Jaswant Singh said that while sowing BT cotton, use 450 grams of seed per bigha. Also maintain a distance of 108 cm between rows and 60 cm between plants. He advised farmers to use only seeds approved by the state government and avoid buying seeds from unknown sources.
Integrated pesticide management is necessary to protect against pink caterpillar
To protect against caterpillar, crop rotation, deep ploughing, destruction of weeds in and around the field, cleaning of beds in the field and destruction of half-ripe bolls are necessary. Also, keep the wood left in the field covered with mosquito net or polythene from the month of April itself so that moths cannot come out.
Spray pesticides at the right time
The Agriculture Department has said to be especially cautious regarding the selection of pesticides. It is advised to spray neem based pesticides at the stage of 45 to 60 days and pyrethroid based pesticides after 120 days.
Appeal to contact farmers
There is a need to be especially cautious in the fields where cotton wood or ginning factories and cottonseed oil mills are located nearby. The Agriculture Department has appealed to the farmers to contact the Agriculture Supervisor of their area, Assistant Agriculture Officer or Assistant Director Agriculture Office located in Anupgarh for any doubt or assistance.
It has also had an impact in the last two years
It is worth noting that two years ago also the pink caterpillar had caused a lot of damage to the cotton crop. This time, by taking timely precautions, farmers can be helped in saving the crop.
