ICAR Rabi season Agro Advisory for Kerala

Rice

• In wet direct seeded paddy fields, land preparation may be done immediately after the harvest of the first crop. Addition of soil ameliorants, preferably lime or dolomite @ 2 kg/ cent as initial split should be made mandatory along with first ploughing.
• During the next ploughing, after two weeks, add FYM @ 2 t/acre which will restore the productivity of rice-based cropping system. In Rice- Rice- pulse systems, incorporate crop residues into the soil during first ploughing so that FYM can be reduced to 50 % of the above dosage.
• Farmers should ensure selection of good quality seeds by soaking in salt solution for 10 minutes. The ones that float must be discarded. Seeds should be immediately washed after removing from solution and then used for sowing.
• Plough the field thoroughly and ensure proper levelling as this is critical for effective water and weed management.
• Wherever the land preparation has been done for second crop of paddy (mundakan), transplanting can be done. As a prophylactic measure, the seeds may be soaked in a solution of Pseudomonas culture (10 grams for 1 kg seeds) to control sheath blight, sheath rot, leaf spot disease etc. The seedlings can be soaked for 30 minutes in pseudomonas solution (20-gram Pseudomonas in one litre of water). The micronutrient deficiency of paddy can be managed by spraying 5 gram of paddy sampoorna in one litre of water.
• Apply full doze of P, half the dose of N and half dose of Potash i.e., 90 kg Factomphos and 14.4 kg Potash/ acre as a basal dose.
• If there is toxicity of iron in the rice field, apply 150 kg lime per acre.
• In Kuttanad and Onattukara regions, soil testing must be adopted for site specific nutrient management (application of fertilizers and quality dolomite as liming material) to improve nutrient use efficiency.

Pest and Disease management

• Tricho cards for managing rice stem borer and leaf folder can be used @ 2cc card per acre at 15,30,45 and 60 days after sowing.
• Rice case worm: To control this 25 kg sawdust or rice husk ash mixed with one litre kerosene (for 1 acre) can be spread after draining the field.
• Leaf folder: It can be controlled by using Trichogramma cards (2CC per one acre). Cut the cards in to small pieces and fix in different regions of the field. If the attack is severe, spray quinalphos @ 2ml per one liter of water.
• Army worm: To control, complete flooding of field for 24 hours, wherever possible. Spraying of chlorantraniliprole @ 3 ml per ten litre of water in the field, bunds, and weeds. Where transplanting is not yet undertaken, apply chlorantraniliprole granules @ 4 kg per one acre along with basal dose of fertilizers. Keep the field bunds and surroundings weed free.
• Brown Plant Hopper (BPH): Spray 2 g Thiamethoxam per ten litres of water.
• Bacterial Leaf blight- To control the spread of Bacterial Leaf blight in paddy, spray 6 g of Streptocycline in 30 litres of water.
• Sheath Blight- To control sheath blight disease in rice, spray 4-gram Trifloxystrobin +Tebuconazole in 10 litre of water.

Coconut

• The green manure crops should be ploughed in and incorporated into the soil during August-September. This will increase the water holding capacity of soil.
• For laterite, sandy and red sandy loam soils, give two ploughings or diggings in September-October and one raking in January. In areas where surface run off is more, form mounds in SeptemberOctober and level them in November-December.
• Mulching is an effective method of conserving soil moisture. Mulch the coconut basins with green / dry leaves at the close of northeast monsoon (October-November).
• While applying second dose of fertilizers to coconut palms, apply 550-gram urea, 700-gram Rajphos and 800-gram potash under irrigated conditions and apply 500-gram urea, 800-gram Rajphos and one kg potash under rainfed conditions. Alternatively, apply 4 kg coconut mixture (10:5:20) per adult palm in a band radius of 5-6 feet from the trunk.
• Use of borax @100g/palm is advised to reduce button shedding, if noticed.
• Inter cropping with banana and Colocasia can be done in coconut gardens. This is for ensuring more aeration and retention of moisture.
• Irrigating coconut palms will prevent stunted growth, drooping of leaves and immature nut fall during long rainless period.
• Red palm weevil: Coconut log traps with fermenting toddy or pineapple activated with yeast or molasses can be set in coconut gardens to trap the free-floating population of red palm weevil. Use insecticide to each trap to kill the weevil trapped.
• Rhinoceros beetle: To control attack of Rhinoceros beetle, application of 250 g neem cake or marotti (Hydnocarpus wightina) cake mixed with equal volume of sand in the innermost 2-3 leaf axils. This treatment is to be done twice, ie., during SeptemberOctober after the south-west monsoon.
• Whiteflies: Spray neem oil @5ml per one litre along with soap @ 10gm per one litre on the lower surface of leaves to reduce the incidence of whiteflies in coconut.
• To manage leaf rot disease, remove the spindle leaf and apply Hexaconazole 5EC (2ml in 300 ml water) and fill the topmost three leaf axils around the spindle with 250gm sand and neem cake mixture.
• Bud rot: Spray 1 % Bordeaux mixture on spindle leaves and crown of bud rot disease affected palms as well as neighbouring palms, as a prophylactic measure.

Banana

• For kharif season planted banana, final foliar spray of the multi nutrient mix, banana sampoorna must be carried out after the full emergence of bunch, to avoid nutrient deficiencies.
• For the rabi season banana, select good quality sword suckers of 2-3 months’ age and plant in pits of 50 x50 x 50 cm dimension. Apply 10 kg organic manure and at least 500 g good quality dolomite at the time of planting. For TC banana plantlets, 15 kg organic manure has to be applied.
• The rhizomes are to be smeared with cow dung solution & ash then they are dried in the sun for about 3 to 4 days before planting.
• Propping can be followed to reduce the damage due to high wind speed.
• Apply lime @ 250g/plant to rectify the calcium deficiency in the soil. Boron deficiency is seen during dry weather. Hence, spray 5 grams of sampoorna in one litre of water.
• Adjust the time of planting to avoid high temperature and drought at the time of emergence of bunches (7-8 months after planting).
• Ensure good drainage and prevent water logging.
• Spodoptera-There is a chance of attack of spodoptera in banana. Destroy the affected leaves along with the spodoptera.
• Rhizome Weevil- There is a chance of Rhizome Weevil attack in banana. As a precaution, apply 250-gram neem cake per pit.
• Nematode: There is a chance of nematode attack in banana. The symptoms start as black spots on roots and finally result in root decay and falling of plants. To control this, pare the rhizomes and apply neem cake @ 1 kg/plant at the time of planting. For managing nematodes paring+ banana sucker treatment with Bacillus macerans/ Paecilomyces lilacinus @ 5g/sucker + pit application @10g/pit 45 days after planting can be recommended.
• Pseudostem weevil: As a prophylactic measure against pseudostem weevil, remove the dry outer sheaths of the pseudostem of all infested and un-infested plants in the endemic areas and spray any of the recommended insecticides. Drenching all the leaf axils, rhizome, and surrounding soil and all-round the entire pseudostem inserting the nozzle through the bore holes made by the larvae, if any and also within the outer sheathes by slightly raising the same at different spots is also effective. Apply quinalphos 0.05 per cent or chlorpyrifos 0.03 per cent. Repeat the treatment after 3 weeks if the infestation persists.
• Sigatoka disease: To control sigatoka disease in banana, cut and remove the severely affected leaves and spray 1 % Bordeaux mixture with sticker soon after the appearance of the initial symptoms of the disease.
• Panama wilt: There is a chance of panama wilt in banana varieties like poovan, kadali etc. Drench the soil with one gram of carbendazim in one litre of water.  

Black Pepper

• Mulching to de done using dried leaves in existing Pepper Garden. Shade to be provided using coconut leaves to pepper vines planted last year. Irrigate vines twice in a week. Spray Pepper Powr Mix @5 g/litre or 19:19:19 @ 5 g per lit in vines bearing pepper and if the spikes bear berries of uneven size foliar application of boron @ 2 g per litre is beneficial.
• Spraying Bordeaux mixture 1 % and drench copper oxy chloride 4g/litre at monthly intervals prevents phytophthora infections in pepper
• Flea beetle: Spray any one of the following insecticides namely, dimethoate or quinalphos at 0.05 per cent concentration. The second spraying is to be given at the time of berry formation (September-October) and once again at berry maturing stage, if needed.

Ginger and Turmeric

• Mulch the crop with glyricidia and earthing up to be done after last application of fertilizer dose in month of October
• Foliar spray of the multinutrient mix @ 5g/l, is advised to rectify nutrient deficiencies, if noticed for turmeric and ginger.
• As a prophylactic measure against rhizome rot disease, drenching of either mancozeb 0.3 per cent solution or pseudomonas @20g/l can be done in the field.

Cardamom

• Forking- It is necessary in hard soils, which is to be carried out in October-November.
• Harvesting: Peak period of harvest is from August - October.
• Farmers should be vigilant about Azhukal Disease. Keep the field weed free and rake the inter spaces and irrigation.
• It is advised to give a heavy irrigation once in a fortnight from February depends on the rainfall. Destroy the katte disease affected plants.

Vegetables

• All types of vegetables including cool season vegetables (Nov – Feb) can be grown in open conditions as well as in grow bags.
• For open conditions, apply 3 kg dolomite/cent during land preparation to manage soil acidity. For grow bag vegetable cultivation, while filling the grow bags with 1:1:1 mixture of topsoil, cow dung/compost, and coir pith, apply 50 g of dolomite. Addition of Pseudomonas culture to the soil at the time of planting of vegetables will help to reduce incidence of fungal diseases.
• Foliar spray of the multi-nutrient mix, vegetable sampoorna is
  advised to rectify nutrient deficiencies, if noticed.

Pest and Diseases management

• Aphids: There is a chance of aphids in cowpea. Apply 2% neemoil emulsion or apply 20 g Verticillium lecanii per one litre of water in 10 days intervals. If aphid attack is severe, apply 3 ml Imidacloprid or 2 g Thiamethoxam per ten litres of water.
• White fly: Apply 2% neem oil garlic emulsion or spray 20g Lecanicillium lecanii per one litre of water in ten days intervals to control the attack of white fly in chilli, brinjal and tomato.
• Thrips: There is a chance of thrips attack in chilli. Apply 2% neem oil garlic emulsion or spray 2 g Thiamethoxam per ten litres of water.
• Spodoptera: If the attack is in the initial stage, the affected leaves of cabbage and cauliflower, should be destroyed along with egg, caterpillar, and pupa. Neem Kernel suspension (5 percentage) should be sprayed. If the attack is severe, spray Flubendamide (Tukumi) 2 ml per ten litre of water or Chlorantraniliprole (Coragen) 3 ml per ten litres of water.
• Fruit borer: To control fruit borer in cowpea, apply 5% Neem Kernel Suspension to control fruit borer in the initial stage. Spray Flubendamide 2 ml per10 litre of water or Chlorantraniliprole 3 ml per10 litre if the attack is severe.
• Green leaf hopper: There is a chance of green leaf hopper attack in bhindi. Spray 2 g thiamethoxam per ten litres of water.
• Jassid: Due to increase in atmospheric temperature, Jassid attack may be increased. They can be controlled by applying 2% neem oil emulsion once in a week or by spraying Lecanicillium lecanii at 20 g per litre of water.
• Anthracnose disease: During rainy season, there is a chance of Anthracnose disease in Cowpea. As a prophylactic measure, apply 1% Bordeaux mixture or spray copper oxychloride 3 gram per one litre of water.
• Downy mildew: Due to high relative humidity, there is a chance of downy mildew attack in bitter gourd. As a prophylactic measure, spray pseudomonas solution (20 g per one litre) under the leaves.

Rubber

• Make fire belt around rubber plantation to avoid fire accident.
• In tapping panels spray Indofil M45 4g/ litre against fungal diseases
• In rubber protect young leaves of budded seedlings from shedding due to fungal diseases spray a solution of copper oxy chloride 4g in 1 litre of water.

Bee keeping

• Those who start beekeeping for the first time can procure bee colonies and begin the apiary during October-November
• Established beekeepers can prepare their colonies for division.
• Regular inspection of bee colonies is needed to avoid colony absconding and manage pests and diseases.

Biowaste management

• EM solution or any composting inoculum can be used for composting of farm and home based biowastes in a low cost and effective manner.

Animal Husbandry

• Ensure the availability of green fodder to the animal daily. Provide mineral and vitamin mixture in prescribed quantity daily.
• Mix 30g sodium bicarbonate and 1-teaspoon yeast in the feed daily to avoid digestive disorders associated with excessive acidity.
• Animal should not be allowed to graze in open grazing lands to avoid lightening risk.
• Vaccinate animals against foot & mouth disease and haemorrhagic septicaemia
• Take precautions to avoid ecto parasitic infestation. If fever, shivering, brown coloured urine, off feed etc. are noticed, consult veterinary doctor immediately
• Assure increased ventilation in the shed.
• Control biting flies in livestock with external application of ‘Poovathenna’ (Kusum oil) once in three days and prevent the outbreak of vector borne disease, especially Lumpy Skin Disease.

Source : ICAR Rabi agro-advisory for farmers