Due to abnormal weather coupled with depression in different districts of Tamil Nadu, there is the possibility for the outbreak of various pests and diseases in rice crop and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has come out with a special forecast for the benefit of farmers
This was to create awareness among the farmers, who can monitor and manage the insect pests and diseases on the crop, Directorate of Centre for Plant Protection Studies, TNAU, said.
Farmers can monitor the rice crops for these diseases, symptoms of which appear as spindle-shaped lesions with white to gray-green darker borders.
Older lesions are whitish to grey with necrotic borders, it said.
Farmers are advised to do delayed application of nitrogenous fertilizer and spray immediately after observing initial infection of the blast disease with carbendazim 50WP @500 g/ha or tricyclazole 75WP @ 500g/ha or metominostrobin 20 SC @ 500ml/ha or azoxystrobin 25 SC @ 500ml/ha, it said.
To control brown spot disease, they can spray mancozeb (2.0g/lit) 2 to 3 times at 10-15 day intervals, based on the intensity of disease.
Farmers should be insisted that before spraying chemicals for the management of brown plant hopper, water should be drained from the field.
Already the incidence of leaf folder was recorded around 1,000 ha in the rice fields of Tirupur district The larvae feed on the leaves of rice by rolling eaves and leaving scrapping symptoms which will appear white in colour from distance.
The affected leaves will dry and in severe cases plants will wilt.
