KAU warns farmers of rising crop disease risk amid heavy rains
With heavy rain continuing to lash Kerala, the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has issued a comprehensive advisory urging farmers to act swiftly to protect crops
With heavy rain continuing to lash Kerala, the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has issued a comprehensive advisory urging farmers to act swiftly to protect crops from waterlogging and a surge in bacterial and fungal diseases triggered by the prolonged wet spell. According to the university, persistent rainfall coupled with high humidity has created ideal conditions for the spread of several diseases affecting major crops across the State. Farmers have been advised to drain excess water from fields as soon as the rains subside and begin preventive plant protection measures without delay. Paddy fields are particularly vulnerable to bacterial leaf blight under the prevailing weather conditions. As a preventive measure, KAU has recommended spraying a solution containing 20 g of Pseudomonas and 20 ml of fresh cow dung extract per litre of water over the crop.
The university has also advised farmers to place 2 kg of bleaching powder per acre in 20 cloth bags of 100 g each and suspend them at different locations in standing water across the field. Farmers should avoid sprinkling bleaching powder directly into paddy fields, it added. Banana plantations face an increased risk of rhizome rot due to water stagnation. Farmers have been asked to ensure proper drainage around each plant and apply five litres of a solution prepared with 20 g of Pseudomonas per litre of water around the base of every plant as a preventive treatment. Plants showing severe infection should be uprooted and destroyed immediately to prevent the disease from spreading.
The university has also warned that the current weather is likely to favour the outbreak of quick wilt in black pepper, Mahali disease in arecanut and leaf fall disease in nutmeg. Farmers have been advised to prevent waterlogging, collect and destroy infected leaves and dried twigs, and spray a 1% Bordeaux mixture after the rains have stopped and the foliage has dried. Vegetable crops, including tomato, chilli, brinjal, okra, cowpea, bitter gourd, snake gourd and cucumber, are also at high risk of root rot, wilt, leaf spot and fruit rot during the ongoing rainy spell. To minimise losses, KAU has recommended improving drainage, removing infected plant parts and applying a solution containing 20 g of Pseudomonas per litre of water both as a foliar spray and as a soil drench.
Creeper crops such as bitter gourd and cowpea should be properly supported to ensure that fruits do not come into contact with the soil, thereby reducing the risk of infection. The university has also cautioned farmers against spraying pesticides or fungicides during rainfall. Plant protection measures should be carried out only after the rain has stopped and the crop foliage has dried sufficiently to ensure better coverage and more effective disease control.
The BriefWire