Crop Advisory (2026-05-18 - 2026-05-20)

Mango: Continue irrigation as needed. Protect mango plants from heat; in this regard, avoid weed removal from May to July. To protect young plants from heat, install shelter screens (jantar) in the orchard, and when the shelter reaches 4 to 5 feet in height, trim it at the top. In varieties where fruit grows in clusters, regularly inspect mango bunches in shaded areas inside the plant canopy on a daily basis. In case of a borer attack, spray appropriate pesticides in consultation with the Department of Agriculture. To control the mango fruit fly, collect fallen fruits from under the trees every other day and spread them outside the orchard in a sunny place, or bury the fallen fruits in pits in the soil. Maintain proper orchard sanitation as long as fruit remains on the trees. For the control of soft fly pests, use methyl eugenol traps. Install at least 4 to 6 pheromone traps per acre and replace these traps every tenth day. To monitor mango scale infestation, carefully inspect fruits in shaded areas. For the control of mango hoppers and thrips, spray pesticides in consultation with the Department of Agriculture staff. To restore the health of diseased and weak plants, dig trenches under the plant canopy at a distance of 10 feet from the trunk. In large orchards, ensure the use of mulch around new/young plants. Improve ground levelling in the orchard.

Cotton: Complete cotton threshing as soon as possible. Crops sown after May 20th significantly affect the yield. Plough the land deeply. Mix the residues of the previous crop into the soil so that there is no difficulty in threshing. For threshing, select good quality seeds of approved varieties according to the area. Approved varieties include CKC 1, CKC 3, CKC 6, Cyto 537, MNH 1050, NIAB 1011, NIAB Sanab M, CIM 785, IR Nebji 19, FH Anmol. BS 52 are worth mentioning. For cultivation on kheliyas, use 6 to 8 kg of seeds with more than 75% germination. Keep the distance between the rows 2.5 feet and the distance between the plants 9 inches. In this way, the number of plants per acre will be 23,000. In sandy areas where cotton is cultivated by drilling, fill the holes and sow the cotton in the tiller. In the drill-cultivated crop, use 2 to 3 kg more seeds per acre. Arrange 10 percent more seeds than required so that they can be sown on the ridges. Poison the seeds to protect them from pests and diseases and use them for sowing. After sowing, the seeds usually germinate after 4 to 5 days. After that, when the ridges are visible in the field, fill the ridges. In case of cultivation on cotton tracks, give the first water after three to four days, while the second, third and fourth water at an interval of 6 to 9 days. Apply phosphorus fertilisers immediately after transplanting (20 to 25 days) instead of transplanting. Apply one-third of the nitrogen fertilisers at the time of transplanting. For weed control, apply pendimethalin at 1200 ml per acre before transplanting cotton or apply S-methychlor at 800 ml per acre within 24 hours after transplanting. Furthermore, select herbicides, keeping in mind the types of weeds found in previous years.

Sugarcane: Keep the irrigation interval for sugarcane between 10 and 12 days according to the weather conditions. Apply the second dose of nitrogen fertiliser to spring-planted sugarcane by the end of May. In case there is an attack of black bugs in sugarcane, use pesticides in consultation with the Department of Agriculture.