Pakistani Cotton Growers Face New Challenge: Fungus

Heavy rains and severe flooding have introduced a new problem for cotton growers in the Punjab region of Pakistan: a fungus that causes cotton bolls to rot in the unusually hot and moist conditions. With as much as 15 percent of the cotton crop already ruined by flooding that has covered 20 percent of the country, all that growers and officials can do is hope that the fungus problem is limited to this year’s growing season. Pest infestation is becoming a problem as well, primarily armyworms and cotton jassids.

Part of the difficulty in assessing the impact of the flooding, fungus and pest infestation is that the crops in different parts of Pakistan develop at different times and rates due to varying weather conditions. As a result, there is so single approach to remedy all of the problems.

Because the picking season has already started, there is hope that the fungus won’t spread and will disappear after this year’s extreme conditions end. The government has issued several advisories to growers, especially to draw growers’ attention to the potential for rapid weed growth. Regardless of the stage of cotton growth in any particular region, the need to control weeds is the primary concern, officials say.