PAU VC Addresses media on whitefly incidence

We can manage whitefly incidence-Dr. Dhillon

Ludhiana:5th August 2016:

(Rector Kathuria//Pardeep Sharma//Punjab Screen):

Addressing the press conference on ‘whitefly incidence’ today, Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and Head, Inter-state Monitoring Committee on White fly, said that the University scientists and the State Department of Agriculture were making all out efforts to control whitefly. He stated, “We expect we can manage whitefly incidence.” In Khuian Sarwar village of Fazilka district, whitefly attack on cotton is a matter of concern, he told. But according to the comparative study of white fly incidence during 2015 and 2016, the incidence is less this year, he said. 

Dr Dhillon disclosed that Punjab Government has provided Rs 70 lakh for research in this direction and has recruited 500 scouts and 50 field supervisors to check infested cotton fields and prevent damage to the cotton crop. “PAU has been focusing on clean cultivation, good quality seed, timely sowing, proper monitoring and timely remedial action, quality control of pesticides, and creating awareness about identification of severity of incidence and management methods,” he informed. Further, Dr Dhillon said that PAU has also deployed faculty and students for monitoring and management of the menace. Besides, farmers’ training camps were organized by the University in addition to bringing out a crop calendar and a literature on cotton, he told. Not only this, the University has imparted trainings to pesticide dealers, and organized several radio/TV talks on management of insect-pests of cotton, he added.

Referring to ploughing up of cotton fields, Dr Dhillon said that there were many factors responsible for the same like fear among farmers due to last year’s attack, early appearance of whitefly, new tubewell connections, poor crop stand due to hailstorm, etc.

           Talking about the status of insecticides, he said that the recommendations (insecticides) made by PAU killed 70-90 per cent of whitefly whereas other recommendations killed only 25-30 per cent of whitefly. “PAU has recommended six insecticides for whitefly control,” he revealed. As told by the senior official of PAU that the area under cotton in the state has slipped from 4.00 lakh hectares to 2.57 lakh hectares, Dr Dhillon said, “Seeing the present growth of the crop, we expect normal yield.”

           Dr Dhillon also said that cotton cultivation in Punjab differed from that in Haryana. Long term strategy has been planned among PAU, Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (Haryana); Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner (Rajasthan); RS- Central Institute for Cotton Research, he added.

Present on the occasion were Dr P.K. Khanna, Registrar; Dr R.S. Sidhu, Director of Extension Education; Dr R.K. Gumber, Director of Research and Dr Balwinder Singh, former Director of Research, PAU.