Agriculture dept issues guidelines to rejuvenate damaged crops

Vijayawada: Afterheavy rains lashed several parts of the state, particularly the south coastal districts, the department of agriculture has advised farmers to take immediate rejuvenation measures to minimise yield loss. The department, based on technical recommendations from Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, issued a detailed set of crop management guidelines to help farmers restore damaged fields.

Paddy, cultivated in about 15.58 lakh hectares across the state, has been hit the hardest. Crops in Bapatla, Palnadu and Nandyal districts are in the panicle initiation to booting stages, while those in the Krishna and Godavari delta regions are in the flowering to harvesting stages. The untimely rains during these critical growth phases have caused poor floweringGenerate top 6 Tags from the below article, mention them with commas beside by beside, grain discolouration, and increased susceptibility to bacterial leaf blight, blast, and grain discolouration disease (Kaatuka Tegulu).

Officials have advised farmers to immediately drain out stagnated water from fields. In small plots where paddy has lodged at the milky stage, crops should be carefully lifted upright, while in larger areas, proper drainage must be ensured. To prevent fungal diseases and grain discolouration, spraying 200 ml of Propiconazole per acre has been recommended.For fields where crops are at the grain hardening or harvesting stage, the department suggests draining water through field channels and spraying a 5% salt solution (50 grams of salt per litre of water) on panicles to prevent sprouting and discoloration. In late-sown paddy fields, farmers should apply 20 kg each of urea and muriate of potash (MOP) per acre once the water recedes. In submerged nurseries across Nellore, Tirupati, and Chittoor districts, farmers are advised to apply a booster dose of one kg of urea and one kg of potash per five cents of area once water drains within five days. To prevent seedling rot, spraying Carbendazim (1 g/litre) or Carbendazim + Mancozeb (2 g/litre) is suggested.

For cotton and groundnut, Hexaconazole (2 ml/litre) or Carbendazim (1 g/litre) should be sprayed twice at 15-day intervals to control leaf spot diseases. To prevent flower and boll shedding in cotton, Borax (1.5 g/litre) should be sprayed twice a week apart, along with a 2% urea or water-soluble fertiliser spray to boost growth.

The department urged farmers cultivating upland crops to drain excess water, apply 25 kg urea and 10 kg potash per acre, and take up preventive fungicidal sprays to protect their crops from further damage.