Coimbatore: With summer temperatures soaring day by day, the district administration has released a comprehensive advisory for farmers to safeguard crops from heatwave conditions and reduce yield losses.
Key Recommendations for Farmers
District Collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar warned that excessive heat could adversely affect crops such as maize, sorghum, groundnut, sesame, and pulses, as well as flowers and fruit crops, leading to flower drop, poor fruit setting, and sunburn damage.
Farmers have been advised to avoid fresh sowing and transplantation activities during the heatwave period. The administration also urged farmers and agricultural laborers to refrain from farm work between 11 am and 3 pm and to carry out irrigation only during early morning or evening hours.
Efficient Water Management
The agriculture department has recommended the use of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems for efficient water management. Farmers are also encouraged to undertake summer ploughing to help conserve rainwater in fields ahead of the monsoon.
To reduce heat stress in nurseries and vegetable crops, farmers are advised to use shade-net structures. Mulching using dry leaves, coconut fiber waste, and polythene sheets has also been recommended to retain soil moisture around plants and trees.
Organic Farming and Crop-Specific Advisories
The district administration encouraged farmers to adopt organic farming methods, stating that organically cultivated crops are comparatively more resilient to drought and extreme heat conditions.
Crop-specific advisories were also issued:
- Paddy: Farmers can spray 3% kaolin or 1% potassium chloride solution and apply PPFM microbial formulation.
- Pulses: Use TNAU Pulse Wonder at 2 kg per acre as a foliar spray.
- Sugarcane: Spray 25% potash and 2.5% urea solution, along with trash mulching.
- Groundnut: Spray TNAU Groundnut Rich and use polythene mulching to conserve moisture.
- Maize: TNAU Maize Maxima can be sprayed during cob formation and grain filling stages.
- Tomato: Spray triacontanol solution to prevent flower drop and improve fruit setting.
The collector emphasized that integrated precautionary measures could significantly reduce crop damage and help ensure stable yields despite rising temperatures.
