The Bengali month of Magh has begun, and the Agriculture Information Service (AIS) has advised farmers on growing paddy and a range of vegetables and other crops at this time.

Top-dress the first instalment of urea 15-20 days after transplanting and the second 30-40 days after. Irrigate Boro using the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) method. Use integrated pest management to protect the crop from diseases and pests.

Stick branches in the field so that birds can perch. Use light traps to control insects, and use approved pesticides against diseases and pests.

Thin out the wheat where seedlings are too dense. Irrigate urgently when the ears emerge or when the crop is 55-60 days old, and irrigate once more at grain formation for a good yield. Control rats in wheat fields together with your neighbours.

Earth up soil around the base of maize plants. Mix urea well with the soil at the base and then irrigate. Break off the dead lower leaves.

Late blight may appear in potato, so follow a spraying schedule. Do not delay in spraying approved fungicides regularly to control blight, and stop irrigating fields affected by blight.

When the crop is 90 days old, cut the plants off at ground level and, 10 days later, lift the potatoes with a potato digger if possible. After lifting, dry the potatoes well, sort them and arrange storage.

Cotton picking should start this month. Pick first when 50 per cent of the bolls have burst, a second time when 30 per cent of the remaining bolls are mature, and a final time when the rest have matured.

Irrigate the base of trees regularly in winter, loosen the soil around them and keep them free of weeds.

To control mango hoppers, spray the leaves, panicles and branches thoroughly within 10 days of the panicles appearing and before the flowers open. Mix 0.50 ml of an imidacloprid-group insecticide and 2 g of a mancozeb fungicide in a litre of water. Spray a second time when the fruit reaches the size of a pea. Use a foot sprayer on fruit trees.

Grow high-value crops such as broccoli, strawberry, capsicum and watermelon. Choose short-duration, high-yielding varieties and use modern farm machinery.

For details, contact the upazila agriculture office or the sub-assistant agriculture officer, or call the agriculture call centre on 16123. For more information, use www.ais.gov.bd, www.dae.gov.bd and other agriculture department websites.

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