Scientists have asked the farmers to keep an eye on the crop and take
immediate measures to arrest the growth and spread of the worms. A
committee deputed by the Prof Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture
University has received reports of farmers losing their bolls to the pest.
“Though it is still within the limits, the incidence might go up in late October
and November which is considered a favourable period for the worms,” a
university official said. Cotton acreage in Telangana stands at 18 lakh
hectares this kharif as against the normal acreage of 15 lakh hectares. The
marketing yards and ginning mills have already started procuring the fibre
from the first picking.
Meanwhile, the scientists have advised the farmers to spray a mix of chemical
pesticides and natural formulations such as neem oil between 6 and 11 am or
3 and 6 pm, besides asking them to go for alternative crops such as
greengram, groundnut or maize after the second picking.
Source: The Hindu Business Line, India Monday, 22 October 2018