Agri officials inspect cotton crop in villages

Bathinda, June 23

Following reports of damage to the cotton crop, a team of Agriculture Department officials led by Chief Agriculture Officer Gurditta Singh Sidhu on Saturday visited various villages in Talwandi Sabo and Maur blocks.

The officials collected samples of tubewell water used by farmers to irrigate their cotton fields, besides gathering samples of the soil.

They said parawilt and salt toxicity were identified as the major reasons for the damage to the crop in these areas. They said following a spell of rainfall, the salt started settling in the roots of the cotton plant, leading to their drying up.

The officials advised the farmers to use canal water in their cotton field whenever they come across such a problem. They also told the farmers to apply spray of cobalt chloride if they confront parawilt. — TNS