Storms and hail are likely until Friday (31 March) and Saturday (1 April), and could cause widespread damage to crops standing in the fields. The Agriculture Information Service has set out what farmers should do to protect their crops.

The agency says top-dressing of urea fertiliser should be suspended for the time being immediately after a storm, rain or hailstorm. Farmers should also hold off irrigating their land unless it is really necessary.

Wheat, onion, garlic and maize that have ripened in the field should be harvested and moved to a safe place. Papaya, banana and drumstick (sajna) trees, as well as young mango trees, should be staked.

Storms can tear rice leaves, leaving the plants open to bacterial leaf blight (BLB). If a field is affected by BLB, the water should be drained out of it.

If BLB or BLS is seen in its early stage, farmers should mix 60 grams of MOP, 60 grams of Theovit and 20 grams of zinc fertiliser (monohydrate) thoroughly in 10 litres of water and spray it on 5 decimals of land in the afternoon. If the crop is still before the flowering stage, top-dressing an extra 5 kg of potash per bigha may give good results.

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