Rains spell vitalises crops, fields

Rain in Multan and its surroundings has freshened up the atmosphere and proved beneficial for vegetables, pulses, fodder crops and orchards.

The local met office said that city and its surroundings received 2.2mm rain on Friday morning. An agriculture spokesman said that the morning rain swept away dirt from plant leaves, which greatly compromised the Photosynthesis process in plants.

Consequently, the rain would improve the production of wheat, sugarcane, maize, vegetables, fodder, gram and orchards.

Rain also made water available to soil and plants and Nitrogen in the atmosphere reached the crops.

The spokesman warned that of the growth of weeds following rain and urged farmers to adopt measures to control them.

He added that rain triggers early flowering in mango trees, but it also carries risks of bacterial infection and Anthracnose disease.

To control this, farmers were urged to apply anti-fungal sprays, composed of 250 grams of copper mixed in 100 litres of water.

The addition of 125 grams of antibiotics would make the mixture more effective, the spokesman advised.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2023.