Chandigarh, Jul 13 (PTI) A Central team, led by Plant Protection Advisor, will visit Punjab tomorrow to inspect cotton crop which has been attacked by whitefly pest.
The five-member team will visit Abohar in Fazilka district of Punjab where several villages have come under the grip of whitefly pest attack, an official said.
The team will comprise Plant Protection Advisor S N Sushil, Assistant Plant Protection Advisor B S Phogat (under the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage) and one representative each of the Central Integrated Pest Management Centre, Jalandhar, Punjab Agricultural University and Punjab Agriculture department, official said.
"The team will visit the affected villages where whitefly has attacked cotton crop and prepare a report which will be submitted to the Central government for further action," he said.
Whitefly pest has again attacked cotton crop in Punjab, posing threat to the Kharif crop.
The attack of whitefly on cotton crop which is now on flowering stage has been visible in about 15 villages of Khuian Sarwar block of Abohar in Fazilka district.
With farm experts trying their best to prevent any damage to crop, growers have been advised to spray recommended chemicals to save the crop from whitefly which attacks cotton leaves.
Notably, whitefly pest attack had caused widespread damage to BT cotton varieties in Punjab and Haryana last year.
In Punjab, 1.36 lakh hectares out of total 4.50 lakh hectares of cotton acreage was ravaged by whitefly attack last season and the output had dropped by 40 per cent due to large scale pest attack.
This time the whitefly attack was spotted on cotton crop which was planted near orchards in Abohar which is known for Kinnow fruit.
Cotton area in Punjab saw one of biggest decline in current season as crop area under this Kharif crop shrunk to 2.56 lakh hectares as against 4.50 lakh hectares last season.
With whitefly again being spotted, Punjab Congress had even attacked SAD-BJP combine led state government while accusing it of having failed in preventing pest attack on the crop.
