Daily Times

The agricultural experts have advised farmers to completely remove and destroy crops remains in the cotton sowing areas to save it from attack of whitefly in future. According to a spokesman for Agriculture (Extension) Department, whitefly remains active round the year by staying on plants of different crops including maize, Jawar, tobacco, sunflower, green fodder, cauliflower, radish, sweet potato, brinjal, okra, melon, water melon, chilli, spinach, gourd, tomato, onion, peas, potato, lichi, citrus fruit, pomegranate, guava, beery, papaya, etc. He said that whitefly was most injurious insect for cotton crops as it caused colossal loss to the farmer by reducing quantity as well as quality of the production. Therefore, farmers in cotton sowing area should immediately destroy remains of their crops who were host for whitefly insects so that next cotton crops could be saved from its attack, he added. He also advised the growers to avoid from cultivating okra, brinjal and Jawar crops near those fields where they wanted to sow next crop of cotton.He also advised them to ensure complete removal of weeds and herbs from water courses near cotton sowing fields besides ensuring tight implementation on off-season management to save cotton crop from the attack of whitefly as well as pink bollworm.