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Agricultural Advisories for East India: Optimizing Crop Management

By Kamal Jeet | August 14, 2025

Introduction

The following agricultural advisories are sourced from the National Agromet Advisory Service Bulletin, issued by the Agricultural Meteorology Division, India Meteorological Department, Pune. These recommendations provide region-specific guidance for farmers in East India, covering states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, to enhance crop productivity and manage environmental challenges effectively.

Bihar

North East Alluvial Zone

  • Rice Transplanting: Prepare the main field for rice seedling transplantation. Apply Pretilachlor weedicide at 1.5 liters per hectare within 2–3 days post-transplanting under clear skies to control weeds in paddy fields.
  • Vegetable Management: Construct scaffolding for creeper vegetables. Ensure proper drainage in vegetable fields to avoid waterlogging. Harvest mature fruits and vegetables regularly.

North West Alluvial Plain

  • Water Management: Due to moderate to heavy rainfall, drain excess water from standing crops like maize and nurseries of onion, chili, and cauliflower to prevent damage.
  • Weed and Pest Control: Remove weeds from late-sown onion nurseries. Transplant 45–50-day-old onion seedlings. Elevate creepers using bamboo stands.
  • Paddy Cultivation: Prioritize transplanting Kharif paddy in low and medium-land areas, using only short-duration varieties.

South Bihar

  • Field Preparation: Strengthen field bunds to manage water flow. Ensure proper drainage in low-lying maize and vegetable fields to prevent waterlogging.
  • Pigeon Pea Sowing: Sow pigeon pea in upland fields during clear weather, applying 20 kg nitrogen, 45 kg phosphorus, 20 kg potash, and 20 kg sulfur per hectare.
  • Okra Crop Care: Perform weeding and hoeing in okra crops at the vegetative stage. Monitor for aphids, whiteflies, and sucking pests; if detected, spray Imidacloprid at 0.3 ml per liter of water during clear weather.

Jharkhand

Western Plateau Zone

  • Water Management: Drain excess water from rice nurseries, orchards, maize, and jute fields. Protect vegetable seedlings with polythene covers during heavy showers.
  • Water Conservation: Implement in-situ rainwater conservation and construct pits for water harvesting to meet crop water needs during dry periods.
  • Pest Management: Install Y or T-shaped wooden perches at 20–25 per acre to attract insect-eating birds.
  • Rice Cultivation: For direct-seeded rice at the three to four-week stage, perform beushanning, apply 35 kg urea per acre, and conduct weeding and gap filling.

Odisha

North Western Plateau Zone

  • Pulse Sowing: Complete sowing of green gram and black gram using 8–10 kg seed per acre with 30 cm × 10 cm spacing.
  • Paddy Management: In 20–25-day-old transplanted paddy, drain excess water, perform tilling, and apply 12–16 kg urea per acre based on variety.
  • Vegetable Disease Control: Manage leaf curl and wilt in vegetables with proper drainage and a mixture of Carbendazim + Mancozeb at 1 g per 10 liters of water.
  • Seed Treatment: Treat niger seeds with Carbendazim at 2 g per kg of seed. Thin and weed sesame crops after 15 days and apply 6–8 kg organic manure.

Western Undulating Zone

  • Paddy Disease Control: To control leaf blast in direct-seeded paddy, spray Isoprothiolane 40 EC at 300 ml per acre in 200 liters of water, repeating after 7–10 days if necessary.
  • Cotton Pest Management: Control sucking pests in cotton with neem oil (600–800 ml) mixed with 200 g detergent powder per acre in 200 liters of water. Apply Planofix at 3.5 ml per 15 liters of water to prevent flower drop.
  • Maize Pest Control: Spray Emamectin Benzoate 5% SG at 80 g per acre for Fall Armyworm and Profenophos 50% EC at 400 ml per acre for stem borer in hybrid maize.
  • Red Gram Pest Control: Spray neem-based pesticide (1500 ppm) at 3 ml per liter of water during clear weather to manage aphids and thrips in red gram.

East and South-Eastern Coastal Plain

  • Paddy Transplanting: Complete paddy transplanting by mid-August. To manage Swarming Caterpillar, spray Chlorpyriphos 50% + Cypermethrin 5% EC at 400 ml per acre during evening hours.
  • Groundnut Pest Control: Control aphids and thrips in groundnut with Emamectin Benzoate 5% SG at 80 g per acre in 200 liters of water.
  • Cucurbit Disease Control: For cucumber mosaic virus in cucurbits, spray Acetamiprid at 80 g per acre.
  • Okra Pest Management: Manage sucking pests in okra with Thiamethoxam 25% WG at 40 g per acre.

West Central Table Land Zone

  • Paddy Transplanting: Complete paddy transplanting within a few days. Use pheromone traps (3 per acre) and apply Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC at 60 ml per acre in 200 liters of water to control stem borer and leaf folder.
  • Maize Pest Control: Spray Chlorantraniliprole at 0.4 ml per liter to manage stem borer in maize.
  • Vegetable Management: Ensure raised nursery beds and proper drainage in chili crops. Monitor for aphids and thrips.

Mid-Central Table Land Zone

  • Maize Fertilization: Complete weeding and apply 55 kg urea per acre at 20–25 days after sowing (DAS), followed by 55 kg urea + 20 kg MOP at 40–45 DAS.
  • Red Gram Pest Control: Spray Chlorpyriphos 50% + Cypermethrin 5% EC at 400 ml per acre to control leaf webber in red gram.
  • Cucurbit Disease Control: Use Copper Hydroxide 77% WP to manage downy mildew in cucurbits.
  • Sugarcane Pest Management: Use Trichogramma chilonis cards (1 per acre weekly for 6 weeks) to control internode borer in sugarcane.

North Central Plateau Zone

  • Paddy Management: Complete sowing and transplanting of paddy within a few days. Maintain 3–5 cm standing water and apply urea as top dressing. Monitor for blast and stem borer; after rain, spray Tricyclazole 75% WP at 120 g per acre for blast and Cartap Hydrochloride 4G at 10 kg per acre for stem borer.
  • Maize Water Management: Avoid water stagnation in maize fields and control Fall Armyworm by placing sand–ash mixture in leaf whorls.
  • Fruit Crop Support: Support banana plants to prevent lodging from gusty winds and cover mature bunches with gunny bags. Avoid low-lying sites for papaya planting and ensure no water stagnation around roots.

North Eastern Coastal Plain Zone

  • Rice Transplanting: Complete rice transplanting using rain or canal water. For algal bloom, apply Copper sulphate at 2 kg per acre mixed with 10 kg sand. For seedling protection, spray Tricyclazole + Plantomycin at 1 g per liter.
  • Sugarcane Pest Control: Remove affected tillers and spray Fipronil 5 SC at 400 ml per acre to manage early shoot borer.
  • Okra Disease Control: Remove infected leaves and spray Diafenthiuron 50% WP at 2 g per liter for yellow vein mosaic in okra.

Eastern Ghat High Land Zone & South Eastern Ghat Zone

  • Field Drainage: Ensure proper drainage in maize, pulses, groundnut, and vegetable fields to prevent waterlogging.
  • Rice Pest Control: Maintain optimum moisture for rice tillering. If stem borer or leaf folder attack exceeds ETL, spray Triazophos 40 EC at 2.5 ml per liter of water.
  • Maize Disease Control: Monitor for leaf blight in maize and spray Mancozeb 75 WP at 2.5 g per liter if symptoms appear.
  • Turmeric/Ginger Disease Control: Manage rhizome rot by ensuring drainage and drenching with Metalaxyl + Mancozeb at 2.5 g per liter.
  • Ragi Crop Care: Perform gap filling and weeding in ragi by 15–20 DAS and apply 10 kg nitrogen per acre as top dressing.

North Eastern Ghat Zone

  • Field Management: Ensure proper field drainage and avoid spraying during rainy hours.
  • Chili and Brinjal Disease Control: Manage fruit rot by spraying Carbendazim 50% WP at 2 g per liter, repeating at 15-day intervals if needed.
  • Finger Millet Disease Control: Control leaf spot/blight in finger millet with Mancozeb 63% WP + Carbendazim 12% WP at 400 g per acre in 200 liters of water.
  • Cotton Pest Management: Spray Neem Oil (1500 ppm) at 600 ml per acre in 200 liters of water to manage aphids and jassids in cotton.
  • Legume Fertilization: Apply 0.5% KCl or 0.5% KH₂PO₄ + 0.3% Borax in legumes to improve drought tolerance.

West Bengal & Sikkim

Sub-Himalayan West Bengal

Hill Zone

  • Rice Transplanting: Undertake rice transplanting during fair weather, maintaining a 1–2 cm water layer in the main field for 10 days post-transplanting.
  • Ginger Disease Control: Monitor for rhizome rot in ginger (yellowing and wilting). Remove infected plants and spray Bordeaux mixture (1%) as a preventive measure.
  • Okra Pest Control: In humid conditions post-rainfall, control jassids in okra by spraying Imidacloprid 200 SL at 100 ml in 500 liters of water per hectare during clear, dry days.

Terai Zone

  • Irrigation Management: Avoid irrigation in rice fields due to expected moderate to heavy rainfall. Apply irrigation only if essential for sowing.
  • Jute Retting: Avoid retting mature jute in running water; use stagnant pond water with CRIJAF SONA (4 kg per bigha) or NINFET powder (6 kg per bigha).
  • Pumpkin Pest Control: Use pheromone traps and spot spray molasses (200 ml) + Malathion 50% EC (20 ml) during clear weather to control fruit fly in pumpkin.
  • Okra Pest Management: Remove and burn infected plant parts to control fruit and shoot borer in okra. Install light traps and pheromone traps (1–2 per bigha) and spray Bacillus thuringiensis 5% WP at 1.5 g per liter of water during clear weather.

Old Alluvial Zone

  • Paddy Water Management: Maintain a 2–3 cm water level in paddy fields. To prevent blast and brown spot diseases, apply Propiconazole or Hexaconazole at 0.6–1 g per liter of water on clear, sunny days.
  • Field Drainage: Maintain proper drainage channels in jute fields and drain stagnant water from vegetable fields. Provide additional plant support to prevent lodging.

Gangetic West Bengal

Coastal Saline Zone

  • Rice Transplanting: Complete rice seedling transplanting this week. Apply pre-emergence weedicide 2–3 days post-transplanting to control weeds and maintain proper bunding.
  • Cauliflower Preparation: Prepare the main field for transplanting cauliflower seedlings in mid-August.

Laterite and Red Soil Zone

  • Field Management: Avoid waterlogging in rice fields to prevent root damage and bacterial/fungal infections. Ensure proper puddling and drainage before transplanting.
  • Groundnut Sowing: Delay sowing of Kharif groundnut until water drains from fields. Avoid tillage in saturated fields to prevent soil compaction.

New Alluvial Zone

  • Rice Transplanting: Complete rice transplanting in monsoon-dependent irrigated areas.
  • Jute Harvesting: Begin jute harvesting and start retting using recent rainfall.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

  • Rice Weeding: Perform weeding in transplanted rice fields.
  • Fruit Crop Support: Provide physical support to fruit-bearing banana and papaya plants to prevent lodging due to moderate winds.

Animal Husbandry

Bihar

  • Vaccination: Complete vaccinations against Hemorrhagic Septicemia (HS) and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) this month to protect livestock.

Odisha

  • Shed Hygiene: Keep livestock and poultry sheds clean, dry, and well-ventilated to prevent infections like mastitis. Use smoke to repel insects and seal poultry shed crevices to block predators.
  • Vaccination Schedule: Vaccinate cattle against FMD every 6 months with a booster 28 days after the first dose, preferably post-deworming. Ensure timely vaccinations against HS, BQ, and Enterotoxaemia.
  • Poultry Vaccination: Vaccinate chicks against Ranikhet at 1–7 days and again at 20–28 days.
  • Feed Management: Provide balanced feed to small ruminants to ensure health and productivity.
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