NEW DELHI, June 12 -- The government has extended the deadline for implementing revised quality standards for crop protection spraying equipment, giving manufacturers more time to comply with the norms and ensuring uninterrupted availability of such devices during the peak cultivation period.

The implementation was deferred to October, which may cover some early rabi crop sowing, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) said in an order that Mint reviewed. Sowing during the kharif season takes place in June and July, although it can extend to September in some regions, depending on the monsoon. For the rabi season, sowing is from October to December.

The major kharif season crops are paddy, cotton, soybean, maize, pulses and oilseeds. These...