Inaugurating a seed treatment campaign at Raitha Samparka Kendra here on Thursday, she likened seed treatment to vaccination of children. “Just as children are vaccinated against fatal diseases, it is essential to treat seeds with suitable pesticides in order to protect the plant from various pest attacks. Pest control can be achieved at lower cost with proper seed treatment,” she said.

Chaff, fungus, and pest-affected seeds could be separated by winnowing. Disease-causing elements could further be removed by treating seeds with hot water. Treatment with pesticides is more effective.

However, pesticides will have to be selected considering the variety of the crop, the diseases which could attack the crop, the warehousing method, the duration of warehouse and the season.

Organic fungicides
Fungal diseases which spread through soil could be prevented by using trichoderma, an organic fungicide. Neem cakes, concoction of tobacco leaves, panchamrita are also being used to control diseases. They have a long-lasting effect and are environment friendly too, she said.

The pests spreading through soil can also be controlled by crop rotation, intermediate cropping, deep tilling, wormicompost and effective weed control.

Ramanareddy, Regional Manager of UPL, which had organised the programme, spoke on the occasion. An interaction with farmers on seed treatment was also held. The programme will be held at Bangarpet on Saturday.