General Advisory
• As October marks the end of the monsoon in many regions, trees might start facing water stress. Apply mulch around the base of trees /bamboos to retain moisture in the soil. Organic mulch like leaf litter and compost also enriches the soil as it decomposes.
Plant Breeding & Genetics –Harendra Verma
1. Post-Harvest Management of Paddy
Harvested paddy and maize should be dried properly to bring down the grain moisture content to about 9% to avoid the damage from fungal disease and stored grain pest.
Store the seeds in clean, dry, ventilated places; use wooden pallets to avoid contact with the floor.
2. Seed Arrangement and Planning for Rabi crops
Farmers are advised to procure and arrange quality seeds of improved varieties in advance.
Toria: TS-38, TS-67
Linseed: LSL-93, Priyam
Field Pea: Azad
Green pea: Arkel
Ensure timely sowing after harvest to achieve better crop establishment and yield.
3. Timely Harvesting and Sowing
Complete harvesting of kharif rice and maize on time to avoid grain shattering and losses.
Immediately after harvest, sow toria, potato, linseed and pea crops to utilize residual soil moisture and ensure higher productivity.
4. Soil Health Management
Apply well-decomposed FYM, Poultry manure or compost @2-3 tonnes/ha atleast 10 days before sowing.
Incorporate the organic matter thoroughly into the soil to improve soil fertility, water-holding capacity and structure.
Apply recommended starter doses of NPK fertilizers based on soil test results.
5. Moisture Conservation Practices
Use rice straw or other crop residues as mulch in rabi maize and pea crops to conserve soil moisture, suppress weeds and moderate soil temperature.
Practice minimum tillage where feasible to reduce soil disturbance and moisture loss.
6. Crop Protection Measures
Monitor fields regularly for early signs of pest and disease infestation.
For rabi crops, be alert for aphids in toria and linseed an powdery mildew in peas.
Use (IPM) practices and apply neem oil @4ml/liter of water for management of aphids.
7. Irrigation Advisory
Utilize residual soil moisture effectively and provide life-saving irrigation if dry spells occur by constructing Jalkunds.
Provide life-saving irrigation if dry spells occur, especially at germination, flowering and pod formation stages.
8. Other recommendations
Adopt crop rotation (rice/maize → pea/linseed/toria→green gram) for better soil health and reduced pest build up.
Fruit Science –Ruth Assumi
1. Keep the fruit tree ring or basin clean of weeds.
2. Mulching fruit tree ring/ basin with crop residues is ideal.
3. Ensure suitable drainage channels to avoid water logging in the orchards.
4. Propping and staking of fruit trees particularly banana and papaya.
Vegetable Science – Aabon W Yanthan
Cole Crops (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli) management
1. Properly irrigate the crops. Dry spell during head/ curd formation stage can lead to premature, small and unmarketable head/curd formation called buttoning and splitting.
2. Avoid excessive wetting of leaves which can lead to black rot.
3. Apply well rotten compost or fertilizer at 3-4 weeks after transplanting.
4. Brown or watery curd around hollow stem is common in cauliflower. This is due to boron deficiency.
5. Insect pest/ disease management.
I. Diamond black moth: Small pale green larvae that creates irregular hole on leaves while feeding. Install Pheromone trap to trap adult males. If heavy infestation apply spinosad 45% SC @ 0.2-0.5ml/litre of water.
II. Aphids: Small soft bodied green/grey insects clustering thickly on young shoots, flowers and leaves. Spray neem oil (5ml/litre water). Encourage natural enemies like lady bug beetles. Under heavy infestation, spray imidacloprid17.8% SL @0.3-0.4 ml/litre.
III. Black rot: V shaped yellow lesions starting at the leaf margin and pointing toward the centre. Remove and destroy infected plants. Avoid over irrigation, foliar spray of streptocyclin 1g/10 litre water in case of heavy infection.
Pathology – Mathew S Baite
General Agro-Advisory for Disease Management
• Keep track of local weather forecasts to anticipate potential disease outbreaks.
• Remove and properly dispose of crop residues to minimize disease carryover.
• Conduct regular field monitoring and apply control measures when needed.
Poultry -Pedenuo
1. Keep the shed well ventilated but rain proof.
2. Keep bedding dry and replace wet litter immediately.
3. Maintain strict biosecurity measures (foot baths and visitors control).
Piggery - Pedenuo
1. Ensure good drainage to prevent water logging.
2. Store feed in dry areas to avoid fungal growth.
3. Maintain strict biosecurity (footbaths, visitor control)
4. Deworm and vaccinate s per schedule.
Fishery – Jyotish Barman
1. Repair pond embankment that may have got damaged due to excessive rainfall.
2. Constantly monitor fish activities and movement every morning, noon and evening. At early morning hours the fish may come to surface to gulp air or breathe. If such symptoms are observed, immediately mix the pond water by splashing or by pumping fresh water from nearby sources.
3. Diseased or injured fish should be dipped in 1 ppm KMnO4 solution for 1 minute and then release into the pond.
4. Prune tree branches around the pond so that leaves do not fall on water. Make sure that the pond receives enough sunlight.
5. Apply lime @ 27 kg/ha preferably in the morning hours preferably during 9 – 10 am to maintain the desired pH level of the water. Lime should be mixed with water in a container and allowed to cool and sprayed over the pond surface. Avoid liming on rainy or cloudy days.
6. After 10 days of lime application, apply cow dung @ 200 kg /ha, Urea @ 25 kg/ha and SSP @ 20 kg/ha.
7. Feeding should be continued @ 14 kg/day/ha. Do not overfeed.
8. If the temperature is too high, put some floating aquatic plant in one corner of the pond to provide shelter for the stocked fish. The covered area should not exceed one-fourth of the total water surface area.
9. If excessive growth of algae (algal bloom) occurs, discontinue feeding and fertilization for few days until the bloom disappears.
10. If pond water is receding, fish weighing above 600-700 g can be partially harvested to allow the remaining fish to grow fast.
11. Remove pond bottom debris before the onset of winter.
