The Hindu Business Line : Thrissur receives excess rainfall

OF all the districts in Kerala, only Thrissur received excess rainfall during the period between October 1 and December 22 this year, says the latest Agromet advisory bulletin issued by the Meteorological Centre Thiruvananthapuram. In the same period, rainfall was deficient in Idukki, Kollam, Palakkad and Wayanad districts, while other districts in the State received normal rainfall.

The mean minimum temperature in the State from December 20 to December 22 varied between 19 degrees C and 22 degrees C. The lowest minimum temperature of 15.6 degree C was recorded at Vellanikara on December 22.

The forecast valid till the morning of December 25 is that mainly dry weather will prevail in all districts of Kerala.

Stage and state of crops: `Mundakan' paddy crop is in the boot leaf stage. Water management and final weeding operations are still being continued. Late planted crop and medium duration varieties have reached panicle initiation stage. Plant protection operations against stem borer, rice bug and sheath blight disease are progressing. Widespread instances of eriophid mite attack in coconut have been reported from all districts and a massive, Government-sponsored spraying operation is on.

In coconut, pepper, arecanut, nutmeg and cardamom intercultural operations such as mulching with green or dry leaves, plant protection measures and giving shade to young plants are in progress along with harvest operations. In rubber, winter leaf fall has stopped rubber tapping in most areas. Monthly top dressing operations are progressing in banana and tapioca. Harvesting is being carried out for turmeric and ginger. Cashew and fruit trees are in the flushing stage and are flowering. New planting is being continued in banana, tapioca and seasonal vegetables in areas with irrigation facilities. Intercultural operations are also being adopted in these crops.

Farm advisory: Weeding, water management and a second top dressing for late-planted `mundakan' crop can be continued. Paddy fields should be closely watched for sheath blight and rot disease in boot leaves stage, and if found either Ediphenphose, Carbendazim or Carbozin at the rate of 1 ml per litre of water should be sprayed. Adopt control measures for plant hoppers and rice bug in fields.

To deal with mite attack in coconut, community spraying using neam-garlic emulsion should be carried out to control the attack. This will also help reduce incidences of coried bug attack. Leaf rot and stem bleeding are likely to persist. To control this, 1 per cent Bordeaux mixture should be sprayed, or Bordeaux paste applied.

Rhinoceros beetles should be hooked out while harvesting coconuts and plant protection measures taken against possible red palm weevil attack. In areas with irrigation facilities, irrigation of coconut gardens can commence. One per cent Bordeaux mixture can be sprayed to control mahali in arecanut; leaf spot and die back in clove and fruit rot in nutmeg. To control tea mosquitoes in cashew, either use pheromone traps or spray 2 ml Quinalphos diluted in 1 litre of water.

New planting can be continued in banana, tapioca and seasonal vegetables in areas with assured irrigation facilities. In rubber, based on leaf fall intensity, tapping may be temporarily withheld to overcome winter stress.

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