Agromet Advisory Bulletin for the State of Punjab
Bulletin No. 50/2015
issued on Tuesday
23.06.2015 To 26.06.2015
Part A: Realized and forecast weather
Summary of past weather over the State during (19th to 22nd June):
Rainfall occurred at few places on 21st , and at isolated places on 20th & 22nd . Weather remained dry
during the rest period.
Maximum temperatures were between 39-41OC which were 1-2OC above normal. Minimum
temperatures were between 26-28OC which were also 1-2OC above normal.
Chief amounts of rainfall in cms: 20th - Nangal Dam 4, Balachaur, Derabassi, Ropar, Phangota 1
each; 21st – Phangota 6, Mukerian, Patiala 3, Kapurthala(AWS), R. S. Dam site 2 each, Malakpur,
Shahpur Kandi, Nawanshahar, Faridkot and Jalalabad(ARG)1 each; 22nd – Patiala(REV),Balachaur 2
each, Sangrur and Patiala 1 each.
Highest Maximum Temperature: 42.3OC, 43.7OC, 38.6OC and 37.0OC at Amritsar on 19th , 20th , 21st
and 22nd June respectively.
State forecast valid until 0830 hrs. of 26.06.2015: Moderate to heavy rain/thundershowers would
occur at many places during the period.
Outlook for subsequent two days: Rain/Thundershowers may occur at isolated places.
Part B
Crop information and Agromet Advisories
Stages of the major kharif/Rabi crops
(Crop stages and state as collected from AMFUs and State Department of Agriculture, Punjab)
Name of crop
Paddy
Sugarcane
Fruits
Vegetables
Fodder
Sunflower
Green Manure
Cotton
Stage
Nursery
raising/sowing
Active tillering
Planting/Small fruits
Maturity
Sowing
Harvesting
sowing
Branching
Crop Advisories and Plant Protection:
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Paddy: Due to moderate to heavy rain/thundershowers forecast at many places during the next 2-3 days,
farmers are advised to transplant paddy crop. Avoid transplating paddy in poor sandy soil. To save water,
plant early maturing variety PR 115.Grow Rice varieties PR 123, PR 122, PR 121, PR 115, PR 113 and PR
111 which are resistant to most of the pathotypes of bacterial leaf blight pathogen. In order to get better grain
quality, water saving and low build up of stem borers, sowing of crop should be scheduled in the second
fortnight of June.Use nitrogen judiciously based on Leaf colour chart (LCC). Excessive use of nitrogen
fertilizer encourage multiplication of insect pests particularly whitebacked plant hopper in PR 114 and false
smut disease in PR 116.
Sugarcane: Control weeds in the planted as well as ratoon crop. Due to prevailing hot weather conditions,
sugarcane crop require frequent irrigations at 8 to 10 days interval. Apply 65 kg urea per acre. Moisture
conservation may be done by spreading mulch in between cane rows. Use rice straw/wheat straw/rice husk
as mulch. This also checks the growth of weeds. For checking attack of black bug, spray 350 ml of
Dursban/Lethal/Massban 20 EC in 400 Iitres of water per acre. Direct the spray material into the leaf whorl
for better results.
Cotton: As moderate to heavy rain/thundershowers forecast at many places during the next 2-3 days,
farmers are advised not to provide irrigation during the period. Drain the excess water from the field. In the
mean time, maintain the plant population by gap-filling and thinning. Apply half N at thinning. Hoe the crop
(around 45 days after sowing) to control weeds, before first irrigation. For hand weeding, use of a wheel hoe
is recommended.
Animal Husbandry: Provide fresh drinking water and feed well chaffed green fodder mixed with wheat
straw to avoid Tympany. Use balanced and economical rations for milk production according to milk yield.
Prefer feeding during cold part of the day especially early morning and late evening. Use colostrum feeding
to young-one in early period of calving. Get the pregnancy diagnosis well in time after conception. New born
calves need special care from hot weather, so provide them dry bedding and clothing (Jhull) during early
period of postulation. Vaccinate the animal for the viral disease.
Poultry: Keep poultry shed clean, dry, cool and well ventilated and maintain the temperature inside the shed
between 55-75 F. Use economic and balanced diet for poultry breeds to avoid stress conditions. Avoid the
over feeding in layers and Ad.Lib. feeding in Boilers. Avoid the feeding during extreme day time and prefer
the cold hour feeding (early morning and late evening).Keep in contact with the market for the sale of egg
and meat prices time to time for more profit. Collect the eggs regularly and store in cool places. Vaccinate
the birds well in time and special care for Swine for infection. Use fogger and sprinkler to decrease the heat
load.
Vegetables: Because of moderate to heavy rain/thundershowers forecast during the next 2-3 days, farmers
are advised not to irrigate the crops like summer vegetables namely, bottle gourd, round gourd, sponge
gourd, bitter gourd, okra, and cluster bean, chilli, brinjal etc. Drain the excess water from the field. Spray
Omite 57EC@300ml or Kelthane 18.5EC@300ml or Fosmite 50EC@450ml using 150L of water on brinjal
to control spider mite. Spray Malathion 50EC@2ml/L of water alongwith 10g sugar/gur per L of water on
muskmelon, bottle gourd, round gourd, sponge gourd, bitter gourd to control fruit fly and repeat at 7 – 10
days interval.
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Fruits/Horticulture: Avoid irrigation to Pear and guava crops which carry developing and maturing fruits,
as moderate to heavy rain/thundershowers forecast during the next 2-3 days. Drain the excess water from the
orchards. Use fruit fly traps for peach, pear and guava orchards for the control of damage due to fruit flies.
Spray the grapevines with Bordeaux mixture (2:2:50) for the control of Anthracnose disease.
 Green Manure: Farmers are advised to sow the green manure crop (cluster bean, daincha, lobia, sunhemp
etc), where harvesting of rabi crop is over.
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Fodder: Start sowing maize during the last week of this month. Sow only the PAU recommended
hybrids/varieties. Treat the seed before sowing with 3g Bavistin per kg seed. Sowing can be done in
trenches. Trench planted maize resist lodging and gives more yield. Treat sorghum with Emisan 6 @ 2.5
g/kg and cowpea with Emisan @ 2.5 g/kg seed or Bavistin @ 2 g/kg of seed before sowing. For the control
of weeds, apply Atrataf @ 500-800 g in maize, 400 g in sorghum and 200 g per acre in bajra as preemergence spray. For getting good growth of fodders, provide irrigation at regular interval.