PAU advisory for cotton growers about emerging diseases

AHMEDABAD: Cotton growers in Punjab are facing problems of physiological disorders on the crop such as ‘parawilt and tirak’,which are not pathogen in nature.

Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) ,department of Plant Breeding and Genetics (DPBG) professor Dr Gurpreet Singh, said that prolonged drought, high temperature and bright sun light followed by irrigation and heavy rains favoured parawilt.

Advising the growers about its management, he told that plants may be saved from ‘parawilt’ with timely foliar application of cobalt chloride (ethylene production inhibitor) at initial wilting stage. He stressed that the treatment is effective only at initial stage and added that the affected plants will recover within a week of spray without any loss in seed cotton yield.

He informed that the farmers can have this chemical free of cost from Cotton section, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, PAU, and Krishi Vigyan Kendras at district head quarters.

In diversifying the cropping system of the Punjab region the cotton crop played a significant role due to its little water requirement and other activities such as processing and employment opportunities for about 60 million people.
University scientist Dr R.S. Sarlach said that incidence of bollworm, is the major constraint to cotton production.

However, this menace is diminishing in recent times due to the cultivation of Bt cotton which possesses in-built resistance to bollworms. He urged the farmers to utilize the expertise of PAU experts for the management of emerging cotton diseases “parawilt and tirak.”

Describing ‘tirak’ as bad opening of bolls, another PAU scientist Dr P.S. Sekhon said that it is emerging as a serious physiologically disorder. Symptoms of ‘tirak’ include yellowing and reddening of leaves followed by bad opening of bolls. Educating farmers, he said that the 'tirak' appears when cotton suffers from persistent drought, nutrient deficiency on light sandy soil, inadequate water supply and too early sowing.

He added that it is common in hybrids, which start early boll formation at a high temperature in June. Dr Sekhon suggested that the judicious use of fertilizers and timely irrigation during flowering and fruiting stages and use of recommended plant protection schedule help to reduce the intensity of this physiological disorder.