Cotton growers advised to control mealybug

MULTAN, Jul 29 (APP):Punjab Agriculture Department has issued an advisory for farmers to control

mealybug infestation in cotton crops.The advisory asked farmers to identify affected plants at an early stage. If the

initial mealybug attack appears in patches, farmers should uproot the affected plants and bury them in the soil.

In case of a severe attack, farmers should spray affected plants only after consulting local agriculture experts. Spraying should be limited strictly to the infested crop.Farmers were advised to use hollow cone nozzles for spraying, while boom sprayers should be used for larger crop areas.The advisory warned that mealybugs can stick to human bodies or spraying machinery and spread to healthy plants. Farmers were therefore urged to thoroughly wash machinery and protective clothing immediately after spraying