Bhubaneswar: The brewing of a fresh low pressure in North Andaman Sea and its adjoining East-central Bay of Bengal and its likely intensification into a cyclonic storm has trigerred major concerns for crop cultivators amid this pandemic crisis.
With the India Meteorological Department warning that the developing cyclone is likely to hurtle towards Odisha Bengal Coast around May 26 affecting North Odisha coastal districts more, the State government has issued alert for the farming community asking it to immediately take safety and preventive measures for management of crops.
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The Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) under the State Government's Directorate of Extension Education has laid out the following measures in this connection.
If paddy crop is around 80% ripe, it should be immediately cut and kept safely
Paddy already cut and kept outside for harvesting should be immediately shifted or covered with polythenes.
Prepare drainage facilities on farmlands with vegetable crops like pumpkin, Brinjal, sugarcane.
Standing crops like sugarcane cam be protected from wind impact by appropriate measures.
Summer crops like Moong, Black Gram which have already been cut and kept on open yards should be immediately harvested and kept inside
Sprinkling of inesticides, pesticides and irrigation to crops should be temporarily stopped.
Ripe fruits and vegetables like mangoes, papaya and banana should be plucked out before the onset of inclement weather or else their plants should be strengthened with supports.
Make sure to keep the following chemicals ready for application on crops to prevent fungal and bacterial infestation in the aftermath of cyclone
1. Prepare mixture of Metalaxyl+Mancozeb 2 Gram per litre of water or prepare mixture of Carbendazim+Mancozeb
2.Prepare mixture of 1ml Tebuconazole+1gram Plantomycin per litre of water for sprinkling on leaves and base of plants.
3.To prevent fungal infection, sprinkle trees of mango and cashew nuts with mixture of 2 gram Carbendazim per litre of water along with 50% WP.
4.Keep domesticated animals like cattle in shed and make sure to stock 3 to 4 days of food for them.