Field visit to rabi castor demonstration plots at Amrabad and Padara mandals of Nagarkurnool district by AICRP on Castor, RARS, Palem on 02.01.2025

In order to increase the area under rabi castor, the AICRP-Castor scheme at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Palem undertook 150 Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) on farmers’ fields, emphasizing the adoption of improved production technologies with special focus on high-yielding cultivars to enhance the productivity and profitability. In addition, under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SC-SP), 50 demonstrations were conducted to promote castor cultivation during the rabi season through the 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. G. Eswara Reddy, Scientist (Plant Breeding), Dr. V. Divya Rani, Scientist (Plant Pathology), and Mrs. G. Madhuri, Scientist (Entomology), visited the farmers’ fields at Amrabad and Padara mandals of Nagarkurnool district on 02.01.2026. During the visit, the scientists observed the incidence of lepidopteran pests (tobacco caterpillar and semi-looper) and sucking pests (leaf hopper) on the crop. Appropriate control measures were suggested, and necessary guidance on crop management practices was provided to the farmers for raising a healthy and productive castor crop.