Skip to content

Agricultural Advisory for West India: Crop Management and Weather Precautions

By Kamal Jeet | August 14, 2025

Introduction

This advisory is sourced from the National Agromet Advisory Service Bulletin, issued by the Agricultural Meteorology Division, India Meteorological Department, Pune. It provides critical guidance for farmers in West India (Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat) to manage crops effectively amidst forecasted weather conditions, including rain, thundershowers, and heavy rainfall in specific regions.

Regional Weather Advisory

Due to expected rain and thundershowers across Vidarbha, Konkan, and Goa over the next five days, with heavy rainfall likely at isolated places in Maharashtra within the next 24 hours and in Konkan, Goa, and Vidarbha on August 12, 2025, farmers should take the following precautions:

  • Postpone irrigation, intercultural operations, and application of plant protection measures and fertilizers for standing crops.
  • Ensure adequate drainage in crop fields to prevent waterlogging.

Maharashtra

Konkan

  • Maintain a water level of 2.5 to 5 cm in rice fields.
  • Apply the second split dose of nitrogenous fertilizer (870 g urea per R) to 30-40 day-old transplanted rice during clear weather.
  • To manage blue beetle infestation in rice due to high humidity, spray Quinalphos 25 EC (40 ml), Triazophos 40 EC (12.5 ml), or Lambda cyhalothrin 5 EC (5 ml) per 10 liters of water during clear weather.

Madhya Maharashtra

  • Maintain a water level of 2 to 5 cm in rice fields.
  • Continue planting adsali sugarcane and nipping in 45-day-old pigeon pea during clear weather.
  • To control powdery mildew in green gram and black gram due to cloudy weather, spray Carbendazim (10 g per 10 liters of water) during clear weather.
  • Apply protective irrigation to 30-35 day-old groundnut crops.
  • To manage fall armyworm in maize, spray 5% neem seed kernel extract during clear weather.
  • In Kolhapur district, due to thunderstorms and strong winds on August 8-9, provide staking to tomato crops.
  • Apply irrigation to soybean, groundnut, and pearl millet.
  • To control fall armyworm in maize, spray Thiomethoxam 12.6% + Lambda cyhalothrin 9.5% ZC (2.5 ml per 10 liters of water) during clear weather.

Marathwada

  • In Beed and Jalna districts, following heavy rainfall on August 8, arrange drainage for excess water from soybean, sorghum, pearl millet, orchards, and vegetables. Provide mechanical support to newly planted orchards and staking for vegetables.
  • In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv districts, continue nipping in 50-55 day-old pigeon pea.
  • To control whitefly in sugarcane due to recent rain and cloudy weather, spray Dimethoate 30% EC (36 ml per 10 liters of water) during clear weather.
  • For wilting in cotton, apply a solution of urea (1.5 kg), white potash (1.5 kg), and copper oxychloride (250 g) in 100 liters of water at 100 ml per plant during clear weather.

Vidarbha

  • Continue intercultural operations (weeding/hoeing) in kharif crops such as soybean, maize, cotton, turmeric, early-sown pigeon pea, and sorghum during clear weather.
  • Continue nursery sowing of vegetables like chili, tomato, and brinjal.
  • Apply top dressing of nitrogen fertilizer (40 kg N/ha) to 25-30 day-old maize with hoeing during clear weather.
  • To manage aphids and jassids in cotton, apply 5% neem extract or Azadirachtin 0.03% (300 ppm) at 50 ml per 10 liters of water.
  • Transplant 21-25 day-old kharif rice seedlings and maintain a 2-3 cm water level in fields.
  • To control sucking pests (aphids, jassids) in cotton due to cloudy weather, spray 5% neem seed kernel extract.

Gujarat

Middle Gujarat Zone

  • Transplant bidi tobacco seedlings at a spacing of 90 cm x 75 cm or 105 cm x 90 cm from the third week of August to the third week of September.
  • Perform weeding, thinning, and gap-filling in sown crops.
  • Apply nitrogen (60 kg per hectare) as a split dose in cotton at 30 days after sowing.

Bhal and Coastal Zone

  • Transplant rice, chili, tomato, and brinjal seedlings.
  • Conduct interculturing, weeding, thinning, and gap-filling in sown crops.
  • Apply zinc sulphate (25 kg/ha) as a basal fertilizer in zinc-deficient rice fields.

North West Zone

  • Perform interculturing and hand weeding in sown crops.
  • To control caterpillars in soybean, spray Chlorpyriphos 20% EC (25 ml), Methomyl 40% SP (10 ml), or Triazophos 40% EC (16 ml) in 10 liters of water.

South Saurashtra Zone

  • Apply top dressing of nitrogenous fertilizer in cotton to support vegetative growth.
  • To control aphids, jassids, and thrips in soybean, spray Quinalphos 25 EC, Oxydemeton methyl 25 EC, or Dimethoate 30 EC (2 ml per liter).

South Gujarat Zone

  • Prop sugarcane with strong bamboo or tie leaves in clumps to protect against strong winds.
  • Sow pigeon pea after sufficient rainfall.

South Gujarat Heavy Rainfall Zone

  • Harvest kharif okra.
  • To control red rot and wilt in sugarcane, drench with Carbendazim 50 WP (10 g in 10 liters of water).

North Saurashtra Zone

  • Apply light irrigation to fruiting vegetables as needed.
  • Perform interculturing and weeding for soil moisture conservation.
  • To control mites in sesame, spray Propargite 57% (1.5-2 ml per liter of water).
  • To address yellowing in groundnut, spray Ferrous Sulphate (100 g) and Citric acid (10 g) in 10 liters of water.

Animal Husbandry (Gujarat)

  • Keep animals in sheds during rainfall to protect them.
  • Store fodder in a safe place to prevent spoilage due to rain.
  • Spray Deltamethrin or Amitraz (2 ml per liter of water) to control ticks.
  • Spray phenyl in animal sheds to prevent flies and mosquitoes.
  • Provide 6-8 kg of good-quality dry roughage and 15-20 kg of green fodder daily.
  • For milch animals, provide 1 kg of feed and 50 g of mineral mixture per 2 liters of milk yield, along with a mixture of green grass, hay, minerals, and dry feed.
  • Vaccinate animals against diseases during the rainy season.
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,