Farmers encouraged to go for PPFM spraying on crops to mitigate drought-like condition
Agriculture officials in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchi district are encouraging farmers to use Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs (PPFM) to help crops survive drought conditions. This bacterial growth promoter is being promoted as a cost-effective solution to mitigate heat stress caused by a weak monsoon.
Why it matters
Innovative agricultural practices are essential for maintaining food security in regions vulnerable to climate-induced water scarcity.
With monsoon remaining scarce so far and the absence of flow in the Cauvery due to insufficient storage at the Mettur dam, Agriculture Department officials in Tiruchi district have started encouraging farmers to spray Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs (PPFM) to mitigate the drought-like condition.
PPFM is a beneficial bacteria which functions as a plant growth promoter and helps in short-term drought-mitigation for crops affected by water scarcity and heat stress, officials said.
Spraying of PPFM, promoted by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), was carried out about a decade ago in paddy in parts of the State during drought conditions. Though it was not used in a big way subsequently, officials say it can help under the current weak monsoon conditions attributed to El Nino effect. PPFM should be used at the rate of one litre an acre and can be sprayed twice, once in 15 days, they added.
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