Farmers advised to protect their crop from rain, gale

Anticipating heavy rain during the north-east monsoon, Virudhunagar district administration has advised farmers to pluck fruits ready for harvest to reduce weight of trees that could be uprooted in heavy wind.

In a statement, Collector R. Kannan said the farmers must keep ready a proper system in place to drain excess water to prevent stagnation on their fields. After excess water is drained, sowing and plantation can be taken up.

The bottom portion of shade net of greenhouses should be firmly secured with the ground using steel wire. Doors and windows of the shade net should be closed to prevent wind from entering the greenhouse. Bio-fencing can be done around the greenhouse. If there are any dead trees around the greenhouse, they should be removed.

Branches of mango, guava, pomegranate trees should be pruned so that they will not be uprooted.

The bottom leaves of plantain trees should be removed. The plantain trunk should be given support with casuarina or eucalyptus poles to prevent them falling during strong wind. Additional soil could be put at the bottom of the trunk as a precautionary measure. Banana bunches, even if 75%ripe, can be cut.

To prevent fungal infection in spice plants such as cardamom, cloves and nutmeg grown in Rajapalayam region, bio-fungicides such as pseudomonas and trichoderma viride should be sprayed.

Dry leaves in vegetable plants should be removed and bio-fungicides sprayed on the leaves.