A seven-day vocational training program on “Participatory Plant Breeding Techniques and Improved Cultivation Practices for Comilla Cotton Cultivation” concluded at the College of Community Science, Tura today.
The training program was funded by the ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur. Altogether 36 farmers from Adugre village in the West Garo Hills participated in the training program.
These farmers gained in-depth knowledge on participatory plant breeding techniques and improved cultivation practices for Comilla cotton, including topics such as the unique features of Garo Hill cotton, eco-friendly pest management, ear bud preparation, the benefits of using bio-fertilizers and vermicompost, and the importance of preserving the local landrace of Comilla cotton to maintain diversity in the production system.
The program also included hands-on training sessions on various techniques such as ear bud preparation, bio-fertilizer preparation, and the production of neem-based insecticides and chilli-garlic extract.
Additionally, participants learned how to prepare yellow sticky traps for controlling sucking pests and effectively utilize pheromone traps for pest management.
