ARS, Karimnagar organized Parthenium Eradication Programme during Parthenium Awareness Week and Field Diagnostic Visits at Adopted Village Nagulamallial of Karimnagar District on 19th August, 2022

Agricultural Research Station, Karimnagar organized Parthenium Eradication Programme during Parthenium Awareness Week (16-22nd August) and Field Diagnostic Visits in maize, cotton and paddy at Adopted Village, Nagulamallial of Kothapally Mandal of Karimnagar District on 19th August, 2022. Dr.G.Manjulatha, Principal Scientist and Head enlightened the farmers on the menace of Parthenium which is an aggressive colonizer of wastelands, cultivated lands, pastures, etc. and significance of Parthenium Week and educated them on the dreadful ill effects of Parthenium on agricultural crops, animals and humans causing respiratory and skin allergic problems besides deteriorating environment, loss of crop productivity and biodiversity exerting allelopathic effects on different crops. Various mechanisms to manage its widespread dispersal in open places and crop fields were also detailed to the farmers and emphasized to take up on a community basis viz., manual uprooting of Parthenium before flowering and seed setting, ploughing the weed before flowering, etc. Later, all the Parthenium plants were manually uprooted and eradicated in the surrounding fields and bunds. Later field diagnostic visit to maize, cotton and paddy were taken up and necessary suggestions given to farmers. Zinc deficiency was observed in maize and paddy and suggested to go for spraying of Zinc Sulphate 2g/lt twice within an interval of 4 days. Sucking pests were observed in cotton and suggested to go for spraying of 2ml/lt Fipronil or 1.5g/lt Acephate. Stem borer infestation was observed in paddy and informed to apply Cartap Hydrochloride 4G granules 8kg/acre or Chloranthriniliprole 0.4G granules 4 kg/acre for its control. In this programme, Dr.G.Usharani, Scientist (Pl.Br.), Dr.P.Madhukar Rao, Scientist (Agro.), Village Sarpanch Sri. Nayani Prasad, Ward Member Ganla Suvarna, Rythu Samithi Member Sri Raju and around 50 members participated in the programme.