‘Field reports show no threat of whitefly to cotton’

District chief agriculture officer Gurditta Singh Sidhu has said weekly reports from cotton fields has shown that white fly pest attack on cotton was lower than what could be considered to be worrisome. He added the crop was also expected to be better than last year.

“A district-level pest surveillance team has been conducing survey of fields for the pest and issuing advisories. Due to medium rainfall, there is little threat of whitefly,” he said at the fourth meeting of Inter-State Consultative and Monitoring Committee for cotton on Tuesday. Bathinda has 140 acres of cotton cultivation, with the largest area in Talwandi Sabo.

At the meeting, Punjab Agricultural University vice-chancellor Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon discussed progress of cotton crop and ways to safeguard it against white fly and other diseases with the agriculture officers.

Joint director with the agriculture department Dr Sukhdev Singh Sidhu also stated that the white fly pest attack was lower. “This year, we expect good yield from cotton crop,” he added.

Mansa chief agriculture officer also said that no white fly attack had been reported in his district. “Stagnant water did hit the crop in low-lying areas,” he added.

Experts from Haryana and Rajasthan too shared their experiences and added that no pest attack has been reported in their states.

Experts from PAU, Ludhiana; Haryana, Rajasthan and the chief agriculture officers of Mansa, Muktsar, Faridkot, Bathinda, Barnala, Sangrur and Fazilka participated in the meeting.