Tuesday 5 May 2015

With summer rain across Tamil Nadu, university issues alert to farmers

COIMBATORE: With the city witnessing heavy showers over the last five days, the centre for plant protection studies at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has predicted crops may be affected by pests and some diseases due to the abnormal weather. The university alerted farmers about four types of pests that could be found in rice.

With the recent abnormality in the weather and depression seen in different districts of Tamil Nadu, there risk of an outbreak of diseases and pests in rice crops seems imminent . The Centre for Plant Protection Studies has done a special forecast to monitor and manage insect pests and diseases on rice crop in major rice growing areas of Tamil Nadu.

According to the university, rice crops could be affected with blast disease in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu. The symptoms of the disease are spindle-shaped lesions with white to grey-green borders. "Farmers are advised to delay the application of nitrogenous fertilizer. If the farmers spot the symptoms, then they should spray carbendazim (50 WP @ 500g/ha) or metominostrobin (20 SC @ 500ml/ha) or azoxystrobin (25 SC @ 500ml/ha)," officials from the centre said.

The centre has also predicted brown spot disease in rice plant.

The centre for plant production protection studies has identified five pests brown planthopper, rice leaffolder, rice stem borer, rice army worm, rice fallow pulses. "Rice planthopper is a problem in rice growing areas where there is drainage problem. The insects multiply rapidly and suck the sap from the base of the plants," said the press release issued by the university. To manage the pest, the farmers could spray the nitrogenous fertilizers in three to four doses. And, pesticides should be sprayed in the stem section.

The continuous rain and cloudy weather have supported the incidence of rice leaffolder and could become severe in rice. Scientists at the centre for plant protection studies found around 1,000ha in the rice fields of Tiruppur district recently. The affected leaves will dry and in severe cases plants will wilt.

There is a possibility for rice army worm also to attack crops. Farmers can monitor the caterpillar feeding on the rice plants and if needed they can spray dichlorvos 76% SC 470g/ha.

Source : The Times of India

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