Field visit to rabi castor demonstration plots at Makthal mandal of Narayanpet district by AICRP on Castor, RARS, Palem on 04-02-2026

To enhance the area under rabi castor, the AICRP on Castor scheme at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Palem conducted 150 Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) on farmers’ fields with emphasis on adoption of improved production technologies particularly high-yielding cultivars to improve productivity and profitability. In addition, under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SC-SP) also 50 demonstrations were organized to promote rabi castor cultivation through the dissemination and adoption of improved technologies. In this context, a team of scientists from the AICRP on Castor comprising Dr. K. Sadaiah, Scientist (Plant Breeding), Dr. Kadasiddappa M.M., Scientist (Agronomy), Dr. V. Divya Rani, Scientist (Plant Pathology), and Mrs. G. Madhuri, Scientist (Entomology), visited the farmers’ fields at Panchalingala and Makthal (V & M) of Narayanpet district on 04.02.2026. During the visit, the crop was at the primary to secondary spike stage. Most of the farmers had sown the crop during October, 2025 and were following the recommended management practices properly. It was also observed that the incidence of pests viz., tobacco caterpillar, semilooper and leafhopper was very low and remained below ETL levels. Further, the farmers were advised on necessary management practices for sucking pests, along with precautions to be followed during harvesting and post-harvesting operations.