Pesticide spray damages apple orchard in Pulwama

Pulwama, July 29: Authorities in Pulwama have collected samples from a high-density apple orchard allegedly damaged by the application of a pesticide to determine the actual cause behind the incident.
The orchard, located at Chandgam village in Litter area of Pulwama, suffered significant damage on July 11, after Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, a local farmer, observed severe damage to his 8-kanal apple orchard following the use of a pesticide.
Mohammad Shafi Dar, Subject Matter Specialist ( SMS) of the Horticulture Department in Pulwama, said that the Enforcement Inspector of the Agriculture Department collected samples of the pesticide from the dealer under the provisions of the Insecticide Act 1968 for chemical analysis.
“A show cause notice also was issued to the manufacturing company by the Law Enforcement Inspector,” Dar said.
He noted that during the inspection, it was found that while the dealer had the necessary permissions to sell the pesticide, the product was not recommended by SKUAST-K for controlling Red Mite, which was the intended use in this case.
The farmer had followed the advice of the local pesticide dealer.
Dar reported that the Chief Horticulture Officer (CHO) of Pulwama visited the orchard and documented extensive damage, with 655 apple plants severely affected and 485 plants partially damaged, along with the fruit of the current season.
“An immediate advisory was issued to the farmer to prevent further damage and aid in recovery,” Dar said, adding that the Director Extension SKUAST-K was requested to send a team of scientists to the site for technical support and advisory.
The team visited the affected orchard on July 23, 2024, and collected samples of fruit, leaves, weeds, and soil for chemical analysis.
A report on their findings is expected within a week, he said.
Dar added that they can determine the cause of the damage only when they receive the test results of the pesticide sample and plant parts. “At this time, it will be premature to guess the actual cause,” he said.