CCRI issues guidelines for cotton growers
MULTAN: The Technical Advisory Committee of Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) Multan on Tuesday issued fresh recommendations for cotton growers, advising them to complete early sowing by March 31 and adopt effective crop management practices.
The advisory was shared during the third meeting of the committee held under the chairperson of Director CCRI Sabahat Hussain.
Experts advised farmers to complete thinning of crops aged 25 to 30 days immediately. Growers who did not apply fertilizer at sowing were directed to apply one bag of DAP per acre after thinning.
Head of Technology Transfer Department Sajid Mahmood said that for crops aged one to one-and-a-half months, farmers should install yellow sticky traps at the rate of 10 per acre to control sucking pests, particularly whitefly.
He added that at boll formation stage, 10 pheromone traps per acre should be installed for effective control of pink bollworm, while one trap per five acres should be used for monitoring.
Farmers yet to sow cotton were advised to conduct soil testing and apply balanced fertilizers accordingly. Use of laser land leveler and chisel plough was recommended for better land preparation.
The committee also advised maintaining north–south row orientation, using certified seed and ensuring plant-to-plant distance of at least one and a half feet. Use of plant shifter was recommended for uniform crop growth.
Seed treatment with a mixture of Imidacloprid and Tebuconazole was suggested to protect the crop from sucking pests during early stages. Farmers were also advised to avoid excessive irrigation and adopt proper weed management practices.
Off-season pest management measures, including removal of host plants and proper destruction of cotton residues, were also emphasized.
The meeting was attended by Dr Muhammad Naveed Afzal, Dr Muhammad Akbar, Dr Rabia Saeed, Dr Farzana Akbar, Dr Asia Parveen, Dr Noor Muhammad and Scientific Officer Junaid Ahmad Daha.
The next meeting of the committee will be held on April 1,2026. APP
