MULTAN, Aug 27: A farm scientist has suggested a remedy to `millie bug’, a pest affecting current crop in the country.

Dr Muhammad Iqbal Makhdoom, director Central Cotton Research Institute, told APP cotton crop had been affected by the pest in Punjab, while its attack in Sindh was not that threatening. He rejected the impression of some growers that the insect which affected plant growth was uncontrolable.

He suggested two pesticides — Imida Eloprid and Bifen Thrin. Some 250 litres of the two pesticides mixed with 120 litres of water were enough for an acre.

“Not only the affected plants but their neighbouring plants should also be sprayed with manual sprayer and not with tractor boom,” he said. He said the pesticides must be applied alternately with a gap of three days.

He said the current crop had also been affected by cotton leaf curl virus which had no cure. However, timely removal of weeds, irrigation and application of nitrogen fertilizer minimised its impact on the crop.

He said about 400,000 ) acre cotton crop had been inundated by recent monsoon rains and floods in Punjab and Sindh and it would make it difficult to achieve the production target of 13.8 million bales.

He has urged the farmers to complete application of requisite fertilisers and irrigation to cotton by Sept 8 as the crop was undergoing a vital phase of flowering and boll formation these days.—APP