HYDERABAD: In the wake of heavy rains in Telangana, the director of research at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), Dr P Raghu Rami Reddy, has issued an advisory for farmers to utilise the rains in the State and sow irrigated dry (ID) crops.
The university said that crops like maize, red gram, sunflower, castor and other crops grown under rice fallows can be protected from root-rot diseases, which will see a spike during heavy and unseasonal rains, by sowing the crops using the ridge and furrow method. According to the advisory, six to eight irrigations should be given to maize and the crop is sensitive to waterlogging for up to 30 days after sowing.
The university has advised farmers to choose the wilt-resistant medium-duration varieties of red gram and apply one bag of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) per acre in the last ploughing. Based on soil type and day temperature, sunflower fields should be irrigated at eight to 10 days intervals in light soils and 15 to 20 days intervals in heavy soils, it said.