Excessive rains in the past few days cause blackening of paddy ears

AHMEDABAD: Excessive rains in the recent past have caused blackening of ears at some places in paddy crop which is nearing maturity. According to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Director of Extension Education, Dr Mukhtar Singh Gill, blackening of grains is not due to any disease and thus requires no spray. Un-necessary spray will only add to the cost of cultivation, he said.

Providing some production cost reducing tips to farmers, Dr Gill informed that in the forthcoming Rabi season, wheat should be grown by keeping row to row distance of 15 cms. This practice will give an additional yield of 50-100 kg per acre and will also check the growth of weeds in the crop, he said. He further suggested the farmers to sow the wheat crop at proper time as delay in the sowing by one week decreases the yield by 1.5 q per acre. Gram crop can be successfully grown on beds, he said.

Dr Gill added that the farmers should treat wheat/gram seed with chloropyriphos at 4 ml/kg and 10 ml/kg respectively for wheat and gram, to check the attack of termite. He suggested that in case sowing of gram is delayed, the seed rate should be increased by 9 kg per acre, which he said, will compensate the delay with respect to yield.