Stories
Paddy Farming Alert: Protect Your Crop from Neck Blast Disease
- •As paddy crops approach ripening, symptoms of neck blast disease are appearing, which can severely damage the yield and prevent proper grain formation.
- •The disease can spread through untreated seeds, soil, wind, and weeds from neighboring fields, making vigilance crucial for farmers.
- •Agricultural expert Dr. I.K. Kushwaha noted that this disease is particularly common in Basmati paddy varieties and causes early bending of panicles.
- •To manage and prevent the disease, experts recommend spraying a mixture of Metalaxyl and Mancozeb or applying beneficial bacteria like Pseudomonas.
- •Farmers are advised to treat seeds with Trichoderma before sowing in the next season to minimize the risk of introducing the disease.
Key Questions Answered
Neck blast disease causes paddy panicles to bend early and spreads through seeds, soil, wind, and neighboring weeds. If it affects the crop before panicle emergence, the panicle fails to emerge properly, while later infections prevent the grains from developing correctly.
Agricultural expert Dr. I.K. Kushwaha recommends spraying a mixture of Metalaxyl and Mancozeb at a rate of 3 grams per liter of water during the rainy season to control neck blast disease, after consulting an expert and checking label instructions.
To prevent introducing diseases into the field during future sowings, farmers should treat seeds using Trichoderma mixed with well-rotted farmyard manure or a jaggery solution. Sowing untreated seeds significantly increases the risk of crop disease.
