Parvathipuram Manyam Agromet Advisory -
Live Stock
COW
- Livestock management should focus on maintaining animal health during the peak monsoon.
- Ensure sheds are clean, dry, and well-drained to prevent dampness and infections like foot rot and mastitis.
- Replace bedding materials such as straw or sawdust regularly.
- Provide abundant fresh green fodder like maize, jowar, or hybrid Napier, but avoid mouldy or fermented feed to prevent digestive disorders.
- Include mineral mixtures and salt licks in the diet to support immunity, and ensure a continuous supply of clean drinking water
- while preventing water stagnation near drinking areas.
- This month carries a high risk of diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Hemorrhagic Septicemia (HS), and Black Quarter (BQ), so timely vaccination and deworming are essential.
- Control vectors like flies and mosquitoes with repellents or nets to reduce disease spread.
- August is also ideal for breeding cattle and buffaloes due to good fodder availability—keep proper breeding records.
- Calves should be given special care, including feeding colostrum within two hours of birth, keeping them in dry, hygienic pens, and protecting them from cold and dampness.
- Livestock insurance and ready access to veterinary services are advisable to handle monsoon-related risks effectively.
Maize
Weed Control
- Maize will continue in the vegetative and tillering phase, focusing on strong stem development and leaf expansion.
- Avoid waterlogging by ensuring good drainage in low-lying fields.
- Continue to monitor for fall armyworm, stem borer, and leaf spot diseases.
- Inspect the whorl region and underside of leaves daily; if fresh damage or larvae are observed, take immediate action using recommended Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, such as pheromone traps or targeted insecticide application.
- Nutrient management is key during this period—ensure that the second nitrogen dose applied earlier is fully incorporated into the soil through light irrigation.
- If leaf yellowing is noticed, apply a foliar spray of 2% urea or 1% potassium nitrate to boost plant health.
- Keep fields weed-free by spot weeding emerging patches; weeds at this stage can quickly compete with the crop for nutrients and light.
- In areas prone to lodging from wind or heavy rain, lightly earthing up soil around the base of the plants can help strengthen anchorage.
- Mulching with crop residues between rows will help conserve moisture and suppress weed growth.
- Maintain uniform crop stands by removing weak, pest-damaged, or stunted plants so that healthy plants get adequate space, sunlight, and
- nutrients.
- These measures during the next 7 days will help maize plants develop a healthy canopy, strong root system, and prepare for the critical presilking growth stage that directly influences yield potential.
Paddy
Fertilizer management
- Transplanting, paddy seedlings start establishing roots and resuming active growth.
- Gradually raise the water level to about 5 cm and maintain it to keep the soil moist but not flooded.
- Around 10–12 days after transplanting, apply the first top dressing of nitrogen (one-third of the remaining dose) in the early morning or evening, followed by light irrigation.
- Remove weeds between 15– 20 days after transplanting using manual methods or a cono weeder to improve nutrient availability and plant vigour.
- Monitor regularly for pests and diseases like stem borer, leaf folder, and bacterial leaf blight, and manage them promptly through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices.
- Keep bunds strong to conserve water and clean drainage channels to prevent waterlogging during rains, ensuring healthy tillering and better yield potential.
Finger Millet
Weed Control
- In direct-sown crops, lightly loosen the soil around the seedlings to improve aeration and prevent crusting.
- For transplanted crops, check for any gaps and fill them with healthy seedlings to maintain uniform plant population.
- Keep the crop weed-free by carrying out the first weeding or intercultivation if not already done, using manual methods or a small hand hoe to reduce competition and improve root growth.
- Apply the first top dressing of nitrogen —about 25% of the total recommended dose—before light irrigation or expected rainfall to encourage healthy tillering and early vegetative growth.
- In sloping or red soils, maintain ridges and furrows to ensure proper drainage and minimize soil erosion.
- If available, apply mulch or crop residues between rows to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
- Monitor the crop closely for early signs of pests such as stem borers or cutworms, and diseases like leaf blast, and take timely control measures using recommended biological or chemical methods based on severity.
Turmeric
Weed Control
- During the rainy season, turmeric requires good drainage to prevent rhizome rot.
- Raised beds or ridges and furrows are recommended to avoid water stagnation.
- Apply well-decomposed farmyard manure (FYM) or compost @ 25–30 tons/ha during land preparation.
- Use recommended fertilizers— typically 60:50:120 kg NPK/ha in split doses.
- Apply the first dose (30 kg N, full P and 60 kg K) 30 days after planting.
- Perform timely weeding at 30–45 days after planting.
- Mulch the crop with green leaves or straw to conserve moisture and control weeds.
- Monitor for rhizome rot and leaf blotch, especially in humid weather.
Rhizome Rot
- For rhizome rot, drench the soil with Copper Oxychloride @ 3 g/litre or Mancozeb @ 2.5 g/liter
Leaf blotch
- For leaf blotch, spray Propiconazole @ 1 ml/liter.
- Use Trichoderma along with FYM for biological control.
- Keep the field clean and avoid water stagnation in any part of the field.
- Apply neem cake @ 500 kg/ha to reduce soil-borne pests and diseases.
Ginger
Weed Control
- Focus on ensuring healthy sprouting and establishment of ginger plants by maintaining light irrigation to keep the soil moist, while avoiding overwatering to reduce the risk of rhizome rot.
- Keep all drainage channels clear to prevent water stagnation, especially during rainy conditions. Inspect the field for uniform sprouting, and if gaps are noticed, prepare healthy, shade-dried rhizomes treated with Carbendazim or Mancozeb @ 3 g/liter for gap-filling.
- Keep the crop weed-free by carrying out light hand weeding or shallow hoeing around emerging shoots to avoid damaging delicate roots, while also improving soil aeration.
- Start collecting organic mulching material such as green leaves or dry straw, which will be applied later to conserve moisture, suppress weed growth, and regulate soil temperature.
- Closely monitor for early signs of damping-off or rhizome rot, which are more likely in humid weather, and for prevention, apply Trichoderma mixed with well decomposed FYM around the base of emerging shoots to protect against soil borne fungal pathogens.
Banana
Fertilizer Management
- Maintain close monitoring of banana plants to ensure they remain healthy and stable during ongoing monsoon conditions.
- Strengthen growing and bearing plants with bamboo or casuarina poles to prevent lodging from heavy rains or strong winds.
- Keep all drainage channels clear and functional to avoid water stagnation, which can lead to root rot and Panama wilt.
- Apply the scheduled split dose of fertilizer—200 g nitrogen, 60 g phosphorus, and 300 g potash per plant per year—to support strong vegetative growth, and use foliar sprays of 2% urea or a banana micronutrient mix if signs of yellowing or slow growth appear.
- Remove weeds manually or suppress them with mulching using banana trash or dried leaves, which also helps retain soil moisture.
- Regularly cut away dried leaves and unwanted suckers to maintain plant hygiene and reduce pest and disease risk.
- Inspect plants for pseudostem borers and aphids, using neem-based formulations or Carbofuran granules in the leaf axils if needed.
- If wet weather persists, protect foliage from leaf spot and Sigatoka disease by spraying 1% Bordeaux mixture or another copper based fungicide, and maintain proper pruning and spacing to improve air circulation.
Groundnut
Fertilizer Management
- Maintain proper drainage in the groundnut field to avoid waterlogging, which can damage roots and reduce crop health.
- Complete weeding if not already done to remove competition from unwanted plants and improve nutrient availability.
- Apply gypsum @ 200–250 kg/ha to supply calcium and sulfur, which are essential for peg formation and seed development.
- Watch for signs of nutrient deficiencies, such as zinc deficiency indicated by yellowing between leaf veins, and correct them by applying zinc sulphate as recommended.
- Monitor the crop for pests like leaf miner, thrips, ants, and scorpions, and control them using safe, recommended measures such as lemon oil or Dimethoate for ant management.
Leaf spot
- Inspect regularly for leaf spot disease, and if symptoms appear, spray Mancozeb @ 2.5 g/litre of water to prevent its spread and protect crop health.
Source: State agriculture departments and ICAR agro-meteorological units, based on India Meteorological Department (IMD) medium-range weather forecasts · View source →. Updated: weekly or bi-weekly per advisory cycle · Report an error