Farmers were informed not to use poor quality water for irrigation in Kinnow orchards
Fruit science expert of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar has advised the farmers not to use poor quality water for irrigation in Kinnow orchards as it can affect the yield of the crop. He was speaking during the PAU live programme. Kinnow ranks first in Punjab concerning area and production, he said, while cautioning the farmers against the attack of sucking insect-pest citrus psylla.
“Due to the attack by citrus psylla, adjacent branches dry up due to toxins injected by the insect and the whole tree gives the dried appearance. This insect causes substantial damage,” he added. Dr Brar urged the Kinnow growers to follow PAU recommendations for the management of citrus psylla.
Referring to the management of stored grains, Dr Manpreet Kaur, an expert from the Department of Processing and Food Engineering, said the stored grains are deteriorated by various physical (temperature and moisture) and biological (insects, rodents, birds, microorganisms, etc.) factors. Among these, maximum storage losses occur due to the incidence of insects-pests, such as rice weevil, khapra beetle, pulse beetle, rust-red flour beetle, rice moth, lesser grain borer, etc. She suggested cleaning godowns/stores thoroughly; plugging all cracks, crevices and holes in the godowns; cleaning, sorting and drying the grains before storage; and storing new grains in clean godowns.
Dr Jagwinder Jodha, Editor (Punjabi) and Dr Inderpreet Kaur, Assistant Entomologist, explained the agricultural and livestock activities for the next fortnight. They also urged the farmers to read PAU monthly magazines Progressive Farming and Changi Kheti for detailed information on farm operations.
