IMD’s Agrimet has recommended farmers in Gujarat to spray insecticides on cotton crop to control thrips. In the cotton crop, incidents of thrip attacks were observed in some parts of the state. Thrips rasp the plant tissue and suck the sap. It discolours the leaves and wither them, followed by a delay in plant growth and retard maturity. Heavy infestations may kill terminal buds and eventually hit the yield. The state is the leading producer of cotton in the country.