Rain to decrease whitefly attack on cotton crop

With the prediction of rainfall in the coming days across the state, the cotton farmers are set to get relief from the whiteflies that affect the crops.

With the prediction of rainfall in the coming days across the state, the cotton farmers are set to get relief from the whiteflies that affect the crops.

Showers lashed Ludhiana on Sunday and the meterological centre, Chandigarh, expects more rainfall to occur.

District agriculture officer (DAO) Sukhpal Singh Sekhon, while talking to HT over phone, said whiteflies amid rain start falling down from the crops, thus reducing the use of pesticides. "Showers may be harmful for paddy farmers but a boon for cotton farmers. Rain will disturb the whiteflies that have settled on the cotton crops and as a result, flies will start falling down on the soil which will offer relief to the crop from the attack which has been very severe this time,"stated Sekhon.

Meanwhile, majority of the cotton farmers of the state have stated they have already suffered huge losses and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and state department of agriculture was "too late"to help them. Reportedly, some of them also uprooted the crop a few weeks back, claiming they are ruined now.