For The WORST WEED in WHEAT Fields

Leading agrochemical company, Crystal Crop Protection Pvt. Ltd. organised a mega field training for farmers at Badal village in Panipat district of Haryana. More than 100 progressive farmers participated in this day-long training session conducted to educate them on the management of Phalaris Minor, a big menace for wheat crop in this area.

ACM-9 is a weedicide developed by Crystal’s own R&D. A patent applied product, ACM-9 gives much better result on weed management compared to exiting products in the market. Among monocot weeds, Phalaris Minor (Mandusi/GulliDanda in local parlance) is the most notorious weed seen in wheat fields. In certain localities, the profusion of this weed is so great that it becomes almost impossible to grow wheat. The weed belongs to family Gramineae. On average, each plant of this weed produces 10,000 to 30,000 seeds. It merges with the germination of wheat and resembles wheat seedlings to a very large extent, causing 30-70 % reduction in wheat yield.

Bringing out the severity of this weed infestation, Mr. C.S Shukla, Crystal’s Senior Vice President Marketing, said, “Phalaris Minor menace is choking the wheat crop in the area. ACM-9 controls weed at the most critical growth stage of growth, enhancing wheat productivity and profit for farmers”.

Mr. D. K Sharma, Crystal’s Regional Marketing Manager, Haryana explained usage techniques to farmers and Mr. Sajjan Rathi, Regional Marketing Manager briefed them about other wheat problems and their control. Dr. Saurabh Tripathi, Crystal’s Herbicide Portfolio Head informed farmers that in addition to Mandusi, ACM-9also controls Wild Oat (Jangli Jai) and many broadleaf weeds.

Talking about this live field training, Mr. C.S. Shukla, Senior Vice President - Marketing,   Crystal Crop Protection Pvt. Ltd. said, “It’s always a pleasure to organize such training programme for farmers. Through such programmes, farmers are equipped with the latest information on crop management. ACM -9 is a wheat crop saviour and we would like to educate farmers to make the best use of it.”

Welcoming farmers earlier in the day, Mr. Sanjay Singh, RSM-Haryana, gave participants a brief introduction to Crop Protection Pvt. Ltd.  He informed farmers how Crystal Protection Pvt. Ltd. was founded with the vision of transforming the agricultural industry through promotion and adoption of scientific farming practices from seed to harvest. Today this  35-year- the old group is one of the fastest-growing agrochemical companies in India with insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, plant growth regulators, and micronutrients as part of its portfolio. Through its research and development, product range expansion, innovative technology, and extension services, the 1400 crore company introduces farmers to the latest chemical technologies at affordable prices.  The focus of this farmer-centric company has been to maximise their yield and profitability and to improve the rural landscape. 

At the event, last year’s (2016-17) Farmers’ Lucky Draw winner Mr. Ashok Kumar of village Gorakhpur, district Fatehabad was honoured and given his lucky draw prize -- a Bullet motorcycle by Mr. AjitShankhdhar, Vice President, Sales and Mr. Bijender Balyan, State Sales Manager Haryana. 

The Crystal team in Punjab and Haryana has done commendable field activities -- over 340 live field training and 563 village meetings. It has reached out to more than 12,000 farmers in November and December alone and trained them on Phalaris Minor management for profitable wheat cultivation.