Severe cold and dense fog have been seen in rural areas, so steps must be taken now to protect boro rice seedlings in the seedbed. Here is some advice on what to do at this time:

• Flood the seedbed with irrigation water every evening and drain it the next morning.
• Make sure the seedlings get sunlight.
• Keep 2-5 cm (0.78 to 2 inches) of water in the seedbed, and from time to time drain the standing water and add fresh water.
• Inspect the boro seedbed once every morning.
• If the seedlings turn yellow, top-dress urea at 200 grams per decimal of seedbed; if the yellowing does not ease, top-dress gypsum at 100 grams per decimal.
• If the seedbed is affected by leaf scorch, drag a rope over the seedlings in the morning to shake off the fog water.
• Apply potash fertiliser at 50 grams per decimal of seedbed.
• In extreme cold, scattering ash on the seedbed helps hold the temperature, so you can sprinkle ash in these conditions.
• Make a dry rice seedbed covered with clear polythene.
• A week before lifting seedlings, you can spray insecticide at the approved rate to protect them from insect attack.
• For details, contact your nearest sub-assistant agriculture officer or the upazila agriculture office.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.