Scientists assess crops, advise farmers on drought management

CH NEWS KALABURAGI Agricultural scientists inspected crops in Chincholi and neighbouring areas to assess moisture stress and advise farmers on measures to minimise drought-related losses. Senior Agricultural Scientist R.L. Jadhav of the Agricultural Extension Centre in Sedam and Assistant Director of Agriculture Veershetty Rathod visited fields in Penchapalli, Kodampalli and Jettur villages in Chincholi taluk and Ruddur village in Kalaburagi taluk. The team inspected tur, sugarcane, groundnut, maize and rabi jowar crops to evaluate their condition amid inadequate soil moisture. During the inspection, scientists observed severe moisture deficiency in tur crops. The lower leaves had turned yellow and were falling off, indicating stress caused by insufficient soil moisture. The crop requires rainfall to sustain further growth, they said. Dry root rot disease and green leafhopper infestation were also reported in tur fields, raising concerns among farmers about potential crop damage. In sugarcane fields, the team noticed an infestation of the pyrilla pest. Maize crops were at approximately the halfway stage of grain filling and were also experiencing moisture stress. The scientists assessed rabi jowar crops and advised farmers to adopt suitable measures to minimise the adverse effects of drought and support crop growth. They emphasised the importance of soil-moisture conservation practices and other appropriate agricultural measures to protect standing crops under the prevailing conditions. The field visits aimed to identify crop-related problems and provide farmers with timely guidance on managing moisture stress, pest attacks and diseases. According to an official release, the scientists urged farmers to follow recommended crop-management practices to reduce potential losses and safeguard agricultural productivity during the dry spell.