Expert Advisory Details

Experts' advice for vegetable farming in December

PAU experts' suggestions for Vegetable farming are as follow:

• Potato: In seed crop, towards mid-December, restrict irrigation and later with-hold completely so that the haulms wilt and fall down before the aphid population build up. At the end of this month as soon as aphid population reaches 20 aphids per 100 leaves, cut the haulms. The crop should be left underground to allow the tubers to mature. On young potato crop, spray Indofil M-45 to manage late blight if disease pressure is low. In case of high disease severity, spray the crop with Ridomil Gold/Curzate M8/Sectin/Equation Pro/Revus/Melody Duo.
• Tomato: Complete transplanting of tomato seedlings in the first fortnight of this month. Provide polythene sheet/Sarkanda/Kahi/ rice straw to protect the plants from frost. Dwarf tomato varieties can be saved from frost injury by covering of individual plants with 100 gauge thick white plastic bags of 35 x 25 cm size. Twenty five kg bags are sufficient for an acre and these can be used for 2 to 3 years.
• Radish, Turnip and Carrot: Sowing of European varieties of radish, turnip and carrot must be completed in the first week of this month. Marketing of roots of Asiatic varieties is to be continued as an when roots mature. For seed multiplication select true type roots at full growth and at the peak of edible stage for preparing stecklings. Before transplanting, apply 35 kg urea and 50 kg single super-phosphate per acre. Keep a distance of 60 x 22 cm for radish, 45x15 cm for turnip and 45 x 30 cm for carrot.
• Cauliflower: For seed multiplication, select the most ideal true to type heads of the main season varieties and rogue out loose, ricy, leafy and otherwise undesirable heads. In case, seed multiplication is to be done on a small scale, transplant the selected heads along with root system intact at the desired place.