Diseases caused by pest attack in N-dists threaten aman yield

6 October 2009, 17:00 PM

Star National Desk

Affected by sheath blight disease due to pest attack, paddy plants turn yellowish and sterile in a field of Gorulgram village in Biral upazila under Dinajpur district. Photo: STAR

Paddy farmers of Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Joypurhat districts are worried as different diseases caused by pest attack pose threat to their hope for good a yield of aman this season. The diseases are leaf roller, BHP (brown plant hopper), sheath blight and stem borer. Agriculture Extension Department (AED) officials claimed the situation is 'not so alarming' while affected farmers believe use of pesticides has failed to check the pest attack. AED officials in the four northern districts admitted attack of the diseases on about 1,000 hectares of land but information from other sources shows the pest attack has damaged crops on about 12,500 hectares in different areas of the districts, reports our Dinajpur correspondent. During a recent field survey, he saw widespread attack of brown plant hopper (BHP), sheath blight, leaf roller and stem borer in the paddy fields in Chirirbandar and Sadar upazilas of Dinajpur, Ghoraghat, Parbatipur and Haripur of Thaurgaon, Atwari and Debiganj of Panchagarh district. Sishir Mandal, a farmer of Chirirbandar upazila in Dinajpur, said his 20 acres of land have been affected by sheath blight disease. Swarna, BR-11 and pajam varieties of paddy are the worst affected, said farmers. AED sources, however, said the varieties other than swarna were not 'so affected'. As in every rainy season during the past few years, the growth of grasshoppers in many areas of the districts has caused extensive damage to paddy crops. Despite the delayed monsoon, aman has been cultivated on 5,10,185 hectares of land against the target of 4,92,820 hectares in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Joypurhat the four northern districts, AED sources said. When contacted, AED deputy directors of the four northern districts admitted the pest attack but said the situation is under control. Our Thakurgaon Correspondent reports: Attack of sheath blight and stem borer in Aman plants in ten upazilas of Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts threatening the aman production target, according to farmers and agriculture officials. Farmers are fearing losses as use of medicine to save aman plants from the diseases and arranging additional irrigation to make up for scanty rainfall have added to their production cost. Thakurgaon AED Deputy Director Daliluddin admitted that Aman fields in Pirganj upazila in Thakurgaon are mostly affected by sheath blight. Sremborer and leaf roller also attacked aman fields in different areas of the district. The pest attack in aman fields during the season occurs mainly due to insufficient rainfall and use of low quality seeds, he said, adding that they are suggesting farmers to irrigate the land and take some preventive measures like spraying of propiconazole or hayconazole group medicine mixed with water to combat the pest attack. Several farmers, on the other hand, said they failed to get results after spraying medicines as adulterated pesticides have flooded the market.