Govt warns wheat farmers against yellow rust attack

The government has issued a warning to farmers about dreaded yellow rust attack after the disease was detected in a wheat field in Haryana. The Karnal-based Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR) had alerted the government about the finding.

Wheat crop is expected to be bumper this year on the back of record sowing. However, yellow rust, one of the most common diseases in wheat plant, is known to lower yields. Yellow rust is a fungal disease principally found in wheat grown in cooler environments and is characterised by yellow-colored stripes produced parallel along the venations of each leaf blade.

“We have issued advisories and warning to farmers in main wheat growing states of north India to take adequate protection against yellow rust, as the disease has attacked quite early – there is almost three months to go before wheat will be harvested – and the intensity is also severe,” Indu Sharma, project director of Directorate of Wheat Research, told Business Standard.

HIGH ALERT

• Yellow rust attacks wheat crop in Haryana
• Directorate of Wheat Research issues warning to farmers
• Warning issued in view of timing, severity of attack
• Centre may hold meeting next week to discuss attack

She said farmers have been advised to visit their fields regularly and spray relevant chemicals immediately. “The warning and advisory have been issued in view of the severity of the attack, but the situation is still not alarming,” Sharma said.

Haryana along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh are the main wheat producing states of India. The crop is annually sown in around 2.5-3 million hectares in Haryana.

PTI had reported on Friday that Union Agriculture Commissioner J S Sandhu said the ministry was keeping a close watch on the attack and a meeting of all wheat-growing states had been called next week to discuss the problem.

Meanwhile, sowing of wheat, which is the main foodgrain grown during the rabi season, has reached a record high because of favourable weather and adequate soil moisture.

According to department of agriculture data, the crop has been sown in around 30.2 million hectares in 2013-14, as against 28.63 million hectares last year. The previous record was 29.9 million hectares in 2012-13 rabi season.

The country had produced a record 259.29 million tonnes of wheat in 2011-12. In the following year, output fell marginally to 255.36 million tonnes.

So far, Uttar Pradesh has sown wheat on 9.68 million hectares against a target of 9.73 million hectares, while Madhya Pradesh has planted the crop on 5.39 million hectares against a target of 5.9 million hectares.

Bihar has sown wheat on two million hectares against a planned 2.32 million hectares.

Besides wheat, rice, pulses, coarse cereals and oil seeds are also grown during the rabi season.

The total area under rabi crops has touched 59.19 million hectares so far, much higher than the 56.98 million hectares in a year-ago period.