The Hindu Business Line : Tsunami advisory for farmers extended

THE Met Office, Thiruvananthapuram, has extended its tsunami advisory for three more days, with farmers being directed to be wary of saline water intrusion into the fields through irrigation canals that open out into the sea.

In the Agromet Bulletin dated January 10, the Met Office asked farmers to continue to seek local level advisories from Krishi Bhavans and Padasekharam Samithies before proceeding to irrigate their lands. Paddy fields should also be watched for sheath blight and rot disease in the boot leaves stage.

Control measures should be adopted against the attack of plant hoppers and rice bugs. Community spraying against mite attacks in coconut needs to be continued. It will also help reduce the incidence of coried bug attacks. Plant protection measures need to be taken against red palm weevils, coried bugs, leaf rot and stem bleeding.

Coconut and other garden and land crops should be irrigated every 10-14 days depending on crop and soil conditions and water availability. For cashew, infestation control measures against tea mosquitoes can be continued. New planting can be carried on in banana, tapioca and seasonal vegetables in areas with assured irrigation sources.

State and stage of crops: `Mundakan' paddy is in the flowering-to-dough stage. Water management and final weeding operations are going on. The medium duration varieties and those planted late are in the boot leaf stage. Nursery preparation and sowing for the `Punch,' the third summer crop, has begun in all areas with irrigation facilities. The main plant protection operation is on against the rice bug.

Intercultural operations, plant protection measures and shading of young plants, along with harvesting and processing, are on in coconut, arecanut, pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, turmeric and ginger. For rubber, tapping has been stopped in most areas due to winter leaf fall.

Monthly top dressing and intercultural operations are in progress in banana, tapioca and vegetables. New planting is on in tapioca and seasonal vegetables in areas with irrigation facilities. Intrusion of tsunami-led water into the fields has not still been cleared.

Summary of weather: Dry weather prevailed over Kerala during the four days ending January 9. No rain was reported from any part of the State.

Mean minimum temperature varied between 19°C and 23°C in various districts. The Cochin International Airport recorded the lowest minimum of 17.7°C on January 7. The minimum temperature was three degrees below normal in Kollam on January 9.

Mean relative humidity varied between 58 per cent and 73 per cent, mean cloud coverage between three okta and six okta and mean wind speed, two kmph and 10 kmph.

Forecast valid until the morning of January 12 spoke about rain or thundershowers at isolated places in all districts. Outlook for the subsequent two days did not indicate any significant change.

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