Bhilwara: The agriculture department, Tuesday, issued an advisory to farmers in Bhilwara, Chittorgarh and Tonk districts to protect crops from severe cold and frost, directing agriculture supervisors to remain in the field and guide farmers on preventive measures.Joint Director (Agriculture) Vinod Kumar Jain said cold wave and frost conditions had caused extensive damage to crops during the winter season in previous years. Frost leads to withering and dropping of leaves and flowers, shrinking of semi-ripe fruits, poor grain formation in pods and ears, and shrivelling of grains that are in the formation stage, he said. Jain advised farmers to cover plants in nurseries, kitchen gardens and limited-area cash vegetable crops with gunny sacks, polythene sheets or straw to prevent a sharp fall in soil temperature. Windbreak screens should be installed on the north-west side, from where cold winds usually blow. In nurseries and fields with high-value crops, these screens should be tied along the edges of beds and removed during the daytime to allow sunlight, he added. He said light irrigation should be carried out when frost conditions were likely, as moist soil retained heat for a longer duration and prevented a sudden drop in temperature, thereby protecting crops from frost damage. Jain also recommended spraying a 0.2% soluble sulphur solution (2 gram per litre of water) on crops during frost-prone days, ensuring proper coverage. The effect of the spray lasted for about two weeks, after which it could be repeated at 15-day intervals if cold conditions persisted. Alternatively, thiourea solution at 500 ppm (0.5 gram per litre of water) could be used. Spraying sulphur on crops such as mustard, wheat, gram, potato and peas not only protected them from frost but also improved iron activity in plants, enhancing disease resistance and promoting early ripening, Jain said. As a long-term measure, farmers were advised to plant windbreak trees such as mulberry, shisham, babul, khejri and ardu along north-western field bunds to reduce the impact of cold winds and frost.
