Blights threat to good Aman production

Aman crop in Thakurgaon and Panchagarh is being attacked by different diseases, posing a threat to the farmers' hope of a good yield of the paddy this season. 

The diseases are Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) and Sheath Blight (SB).

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Deputy Director (DD) Maududul Islam said the situation is under control and they are advising farmers to drain out the water from the paddy fields immediately and apply potash to the affected fields.

But the farmers are worried as they did not get result even after taking different measures to save their paddy plants.

During a recent visit to different villages of the districts, this correspondent saw farmers struggling to save their paddy plants from the diseases by spraying medicines on their fields.

Sabuj Sarcar, 45, a farmer of Sardarpara village in Sadar upazila, told this correspondent that he cultivated Aman on 2.5 acres of land spending Tk 40,000. About one-third of the field was attacked by BLB. The disease could not be controlled even after spraying of medicines prescribed by the local fertiliser, seed and pesticide vendors.

Arun Chandra Barman, 55, of Yakubpur village, said he cultivated Aman on one acre of land spending Tk 15,000. Suddenly, BLB attacked different parts of the field, and the leaves of the plants turned yellow and dried up, he added.

Sirajul Islam, 58, of Sahapara village in Boda upazila of Panchagarh told this correspondent that his paddy plants are drying up from the roots as they were attacked by SB.

DD Maududul said the situation was under control.

It is still unknown why BLB attacks paddy plants, and a remedy is yet to be found to protect plants from the disease, he said, adding that draining the water from the paddy fields and applying five kg of potash per bigha helps to control spreading of the disease. Urea should not be applied, he added.

For SB attack, farmers have been advised to spray Tilt-250 (fungicide) three times at intervals of 12 days on their affected crop fields.     

Despite scanty rainfall in the Aman planting season, farmers have cultivated Aman on 1,36,885 hectares of land against the target of 1,35,743 hectares, with production target of 3,86,035 tonnes of rice in the district.

In Panchagarh, 97,590 hectares of land have been cultivated against the target of 96,025 hectares, with production target of 2,71,162 tonnes of rice.