ADILABAD: Unseasonal heavy rains that lashed last week have resulted in only 60 to 70 per cent of germination of seeds that were sown for Kharif in Adilabad district.
The heavy rains have added to the woes of farmers by a lack of appropriate germination of seeds.
In some places, agriculture fields that are adjacent to overflowing rivulets and streams were completely inundated. As a result, farmers have to go in for purchase of additional cotton or soya seeds to fill the ‘gaps’ as many of those sown were washed away.
Ramakanth, a farmer from Palli (K) village, said that only 60 per cent of the cotton seeds that he had sown were germinated due to heavy rains and they were filling the gaps by sowing fresh seeds in their 20 acres of land in Talamadugu mandal.
He pointed out that in normal circumstances because of normal rainfall and good moisture in the soil, germination would be 90 per cent but cotton or soya seeds get washed away by heavy rains.
Agriculture officials say that farmers can sow cotton or soya seeds when there is 30-40 per cent moisture in the soil. But, the unexpected rains caused huge damage to the freshly-sown seeds.
