CCRI Multan issues fortnightly cotton advisory for growers

MULTAN, Jun 18 (APP):The eighth meeting of the Farmers Advisory Committee (FAC) was held Thursday at the Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI), Multan, issuing a comprehensive set of fortnightly guidelines for farmers, applicable till June 30 for better cotton crop growth.

Chaired by CCRI Director Ms. Sabahat Hussain, the meeting issued recommendations for the next fifteen days for better management of early-sown and seasonal cotton crops.

Based on experts’ advice, the advisory forbade farmers from applying excessive nitrogenous fertilizers to cotton crops under the prevailing hot and dry weather conditions. Hoeing and cultivation operations should be carried out during morning or evening hours.

Owing to the intense heat, farmers were advised to spray potassium, boron, and zinc on the crop and repeat the application after every fifteen days.

It was noted that in some cotton areas daytime temperatures were exceeding 45°C, and 28C plus during night time, elevating the risk of flowers shedding.

 Farmers were advised not to apply heavy irrigation. Instead, they should rely on light irrigation maintaining shorter irrigation intervals, and schedule watering according to prevailing weather conditions.

The meeting further recommended separately preparing solutions of 200 grams potassium sulfate, 250 grams magnesium sulfate, 150 grams zinc sulfate, 100 grams borax, and one kilogram urea. These solutions should then be mixed in 125 liters of water and sprayed per acre during morning or evening hours to keep crop safe against heat stress and boll formation and retention.

For whitefly management, farmers were advised to install ten yellow sticky traps per acre and reapply adhesive material to the traps after every 15–20 days. During the current windy season, special attention be paid to cleaning dust-covered traps regularly and reapplying adhesive after cleaning. In case whitefly infestation exceeds the economic threshold level, farmers were advised to spray Spirotetramat 125 ml plus Biopower 250 ml, or a Cyantraniliprole plus Diafenthiuron mixture at 300 ml, or Flonicamid 80 g, or Pyriproxyfen 400–500 ml per acre after mixing the recommended quantity in 100 liters of water.

For pink bollworm management, ten pheromone traps per acre should be installed, while one trap per five acres should be used for monitoring. The capsules of pheromone traps should be replaced fortnightly.

In the event of Jassid infestation exceeding the economic threshold level (ETL), farmers should spray either Flonicamid 60 g or Dinotefuran 100 g per acre after mixing in 100 liters of water. Similarly, if Thrips infestation exceeds the ETL, farmers should spray either Spinetoram 60 ml, Chlorfenapyr 125 ml, or Thiamethoxam plus Abamectin 400 ml per acre after mixing in 100 liters of water.

Experts advised that farmers aspiring to get cotton seed from the existing crop, they should begin roguing operations immediately. Those who have started cotton picking should properly dry the seed cotton, complete ginning as early as possible, and store the seed safely after testing its germination.

For weeds control in triple-gene cotton areas, farmers were advised to carefully spray one liter of glyphosate mixed in 100 liters of water. The spray should not come into contact with cotton plants, therefore,  use of a protective shield is considered the most appropriate method.

Farmers were also advised to adopt an integrated weed management approach. In early-sown cotton, weeds should be controlled through long-tine cultivation (hoe/plough). Farmers were further advised to use a rotary hoe for weed management during the first fifty days of crop growth.

The meeting was attended by heads of various departments, including Sajid Mahmood, Dr. Muhammad Akbar, Dr. Ahmad, Dr. Rabia Saeed, and Dr. Asia Parveen. The ninth meeting of the Farmers Advisory Committee will be held at the Institute on 1 July 2026.