Coimbatore : The District Agriculture Department has advised farmers to carry out intensive farming while the summer rains abound.
Coimbatore : The District Agriculture Department has advised farmers to carry out intensive farming while the summer rains abound.
Banumathi, Joint Director, Agriculture Department of the Coimbatore district has advised, "The rainfall on the ‘dry lands' will lead to soil erosion, which will allow for excess water to drain out of the land sooner. Water which has been absorbed in the soil will also evaporate due to heat. If farming is done in summer, ‘fungal diseases’ that spread in plants, insects, seeds could be prevented and will also enable free flow of air into the soil. Rainwater which is harvested this way will enable the crops to withhold the drought.
Farming in summer will also prevent the ‘Army worms’ that attack cereals importantly maize crops. Farmers who cultivate maize in summer should cultivate inter-crops to prevent insect attacks. Hence, farmers should carry out intensive farming by making use of the summer showers," urged Banumathi.