Farmers Advisory Committee (FAC), Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan, on Monday, advised farmers not to apply weedicide spray at the time of sowing of Glyphosate-resistant triple gene Bt cotton variety. The second FAC meeting of the ongoing cotton season, chaired by CCRI Multan director Dr. Zahid Mahmood, issued a set of fortnightly guidelines for cotton farmers applicable till Apr 30. Experts said that after 15-20 days when weeds emerge in the field, farmers should apply Glyphosate spray on the whole crop at the rate of one litre per acre. After 4-5 days, thinning process should be done. In case of extremely hot or water-stressed areas, seed should be kept wet in water for four to six days before sowing. It helps complete germination in 2-3 days with no need of additional water. Farmers who want to sow cotton after vacating land from potato or canola, should hurry harvest and land preparation and arrange seed in suitable quantity from research bodies or registered dealers. Laser land levellers be used for land preparation for even surface that would improve germination, save water and prevent chances of plants burning and wilting. In case of saline land, farmers should sow cotton on beds instead of drills. Experts advised farmers not to burn the remains of wheat crop and instead plough them into soil to improve fertility and apply half bag per acre of Urea with water to speed up the rot process. In case of sowing on furrows, fur-removed seed with 90 per cent germination strength be applied at the rate of four kilogram per acre, 4.5kg in case of 75 percent germination and five kilogram in case of 60 per cent germination strength. In case of sowing of fur-free seed by drill, eight (8) kilogram per acre seed having 90 per cent germination strength be used, nine (9) kilogram per acre in case of 75 per cent germination strength and 10 kilogram per acre in case of 60 per cent germination strength. Farmers who have sown Bt varieties should also cover at least ten (10) per cent area with non-Bt variety. In water-stressed areas, in addition to varieties of other research bodies, farmers should also sow CCRI Multan varieties including BTCIM-663, BTCIM-678, and BT-Cyto 535, however, varieties including BTCIM-785, BTCIM-343, BTCIM-632, and Bt Cyto-537 be sown where there was no water availability problem. Farmers should get soil analyzed before sowing for application of need based fertilizers and micronutrient. Initially, integrated management technique be relied upon to tackle weeds. Before sowing, farmers should apply Pendimethalin at the rate of 1200 ml per acre or 800 ml per acre S-Metolachlor within 24 hours after sowing. Farmers should complete thinning process within 20-25 days after sowing. Farmers should avoid Phosphorous or Potash fertilizers at the time of sowing, experts said adding that fertilizers be applied only after thinning process.