Horticulture dept asks farmers to protect fruit plants

Hamirpur: The horticulture department of Himachal Pradesh has urged farmers and gardeners to protect fruit plants of mango, litchi, papaya, and guava, besides amla and lemon species, from the effects of fog during winter. Deputy Director (Horticulture) Rajeshwar Parmar said on Monday that the weather has been dry in lower areas of the state for the last few days and the temperature has dropped.

Under these circumstances, the chances of fog increase. Fruit plants, especially mango, papaya, and litchi, are adversely affected due to fog, which reduces moisture in the air, an official statement quoted him as saying. Due to the low temperature, plant cells burst, and yield could be affected. The effect of fog is more on plants like mango and papaya, he added.