LAHORE–Research and Extension wings of Punjab Agriculture
Department should lay out experimental demonstration plots to
test various aspects of parachute transplanting technology for
rice, to assess its suitability under Punjab conditions.
This was stated by Rana Nasim Ahmad, Secretary Agriculture
while inaugurating the Chinese parachute technology of rice
transplanting at the Rice Research Institute, Kala Shah Kaku,
according a Press release issued here on July 12.
The Secretary Agriculture remarked that if all other aspects
of the parachute technology developed by the Peoples Republic
of China were acceptable to the rice growers, wide-scale
adoption of this technology could result in colossal saving of
time and labour, and could help achieve greater plant
population per acre.
Underscoring its importance he said by ensuring 80,000 plants
per acre at transplanting, the per acre yield could be
enhanced by 20-25 per cent. With this technology, population
of 100,000 plants per acre could easily be obtained, he added.
The Secretary also directed the Extension wing to arrange
farmers gatherings
during the current season and demonstrate this technology to
rice growers. Briefing the Secretary Agriculture, the Chinese
representative said this technology has become very popular in
China, where at present 80 per cent rice farmers have adopted
it. He said to ensure uniform distribution of plants, the
transplanting labour should be trained for a few days for
vaulting the nursery plants, ensuring equal distance between
them.
Meanwhile, the Secretary also chaired a meeting of Rice Crop
Working Group and directed the deputy directors of the
Agriculture department to inform farmers regarding timely pest
control and to motivate them to apply pesticides to the rice
crop within 3 to 5 days of transplanting, and zinc sulphate
within 10 to 12 days after transplanting. Earlier, Ch Abdul
Ghaffar, DG Agriculture Extension informed the meeting that
the area under Super Basmati nurseries had increased while
that under Basmati 385 had decreased as compared to last year.
The area under coarse rice nurseries had also reduced. He said
ample quantity of pesticides were available to treat 98 per
cent of rice crop during the current season.
Dr Ijaz Ahmad, Director, Pest Warning, showed with the help of
graphs, that the hot spots of item borer observed in rice
nurseries were 13.36 per cent during the current year as
compared to 3.80 per cent hot spots during the last year.
However, he added, all the rice nurseries infested with stem
borer had been treated with suitable insecticides. The
incidence of foot rot disease of rice was also found to be
less in nurseries during the current year than last year.The
director Lahore Region, Abdul Majid Zafar informed the meeting
that the training of rice farmers in agronomic practices had
completed in Lahore region, while training in plant protection
will commence from July 20.
