Paddy crops near Rajapalayam infected with bacterial blight disease
The Hindu
The Department of Agriculture has warned paddy farmers in and around Rajapalayam to be on the lookout for bacterial blight syndrome and to take appropriate preventive steps.
The Department of Agriculture has warned paddy farmers in and around Rajapalayam to be on the lookout for bacterial blight syndrome and to take appropriate preventive steps.
The bacterial infections have been noticed in standing paddy crops in Seithur, Devadanam, Muthusaram and Mettupatti villages. The disease is caused by the climatic change experienced in the region in which days are hot and nights are cooler.
Deputy Director of Agriculture (Seed Inspection), Vanaja, Cotton Research Centre, Prof. Vimala and Assistant Director of Agriculture, Tirumalaisamy, inspected the infected farms recently.
A statement said that light penetrating spots can be noticed on the leaf blades of the well-grown crops. The leaf blades would also have wavy margin, which enlarges leading to drying of the foliage.
On the seedlings, which are one to two weeks old, Kresek symptoms were seen. This led to leaves turning greyish green, rolling up and turning yellow to straw-coloured and eventually drying up.
The bacteria enters through the cut wounds in the leaf tips and causes death of the entire seedling. In grown up plants, water-soaked translucent lesions appear near the leaf margin.
Severe winds and over fertilization create suitable conditions for the development of the disease, the statement added.