Paddy growers in Punjab are worried due todwarfing disease reported in the crop from various areas and is taking a heavytoll on them.
The disease has caused due to the southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) which seems to be spreading fast in the region, The Tribune reported.
The latest survey conducted by thescientists of the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) has also confirmed thatstunted plants have been observed in rice and basmati fields in almost theentire state, especially in Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar, Mohali,Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts.
It is pertinent to mention that over 3,500 hectares of standing paddy crop has already been officially hit by the SRBSDV.
Ludhiana, which has grown paddy over2,58,600 hectares this crop season, the highest ever in the state, has reportedthe disease over 3,500 hectares, which accounted for 1.35 per cent of the totalarea under paddy.
If the crop yield pattern and pricing wastaken into consideration, the farmers in Ludhiana district alone have so farsuffered a loss of over Rs 51.35 crore as at least 2,51,720 quintals of paddyyield has already been hit by the disease.
In 2021-22, Ludhiana district had recorded7,192 kg per hectare paddy yield and the minimum support price (MSP) of paddyfor 2022-23 has been fixed at Rs 2,040 per quintal, The Tribunereported.
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal has asked the paddy growers not to be afraidof the dwarf disease which has appeared for the first time in the state due to SRBSDV.
As per the latest survey conducted by PAUentomologists, stunted plants have been observed in rice and basmati fields. Infew areas, due to the severe attack of this disease, some plants were dead andsome were stunted with height remaining one-third from the half in comparisonto the normal plants.
These affected plants are not deep-rooted at present and can be taken out easily, said PAU's principal entomologist KS Suri.
The dwarf disease has appeared more inearly transplanted rice than that sown after June 25, he added.
¡°We are seeing such a disease for thefirst time. There is less than a month to go for the harvest, but we don'texpect a good yield,¡± a Jalandhar based farmer said.
Bhartiya Kisan Union, (Doaba) leaderSatnam Singh Sahni said that the crop is still in growing stage.
¡°We can already estimate that overall, 10per cent yield of the crop has been destroyed due to the dwarf disease.However, once the harvest is over, the damage might rise to 15 to 20 per cent,¡±he said.
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