Multan: The Punjab Agricultural Information Department on Wednesday advised potato growers to adopt a potato strategy to protect the crop from attack.
Potato farmers are asked to water the crop fifteen days before maturity. Potato is the fourth largest crop in the world in terms of production after wheat, rice and maize, and in Pakistan it is a cash and lucrative crop that matures in a short time. There are three potato crops grown in the country. Two crops are grown in the plains, i.e. spring and autumn, and in the hilly areas only one is sown during the summer season. Agricultural information officers said that the crop is tolerated from 15 January to 15 February i.e. from 100 to 120 days after sowing.
Punjab Seeds Corporation provides seed culture seeds for the autumn crop. Potato Research Institute, Sahiwal has approved high yielding red variety "PRI Red" which is resistant to fog, drought and diseases. This new variety introduced by the institute and tissue culture method used in various research institutes is now in the final stages of preparation for sowing virus free and imported seeds from abroad.
The fields of these new varieties sown should be inspected 3 to 4 times and diseased plants including potatoes should be uprooted. In the same way, non-species should be removed. In early February, when there is a slow onset of aphid attack, the branches of the crop should be cut. After 10 to 15 days, break and sort the potato and seed size (35 or 55 mm) and pack them in clean sacks or crates and store them in the refrigerator. Nowadays the use of mesh sacks is also becoming popular among the farmers.