Iron, zinc deficiency hits rice crop
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 3
PAU scientists have said that rice crop in a considerable area in the state has become a victim of iron and zinc deficiencies. While the crop growing in sandy soil suffers from iron deficiency, which has been aggravated by the lack of irrigation, the zinc deficiency is in the fields infested with salts (kallar soil) with poor quality water, particularly, sodic waters. Since these deficiencies can lead to serious damage to the crop in the absence of remedial measures, it is a must that the farmers themselves identify these problems and take appropriate corrective measures immediately to minimise the loss in the crop yield.

The experts said iron deficiency appears on the younger leaves as interveinal chlorosis followed by yellowing of the whole portion of the affected leaves. Later, this yellowing extends to lower leaves also and the whole plant looks pale yellow in colour. Under acute deficiency conditions, the affected leaves turn white and the newly emerging leaves look bleached. Tillering and general growth of the plants are adversely affected.

The farmers are advised to correct the iron deficiency by spraying the crop with 1 percent solution of ferrous sulphate (one kilogram in one hundred litres of water) at 5-7day intervals. The sprays should be carried out on sunny days and be continued until the newly emerging leaves look green.

Every time prepare fresh solution just before carrying out the spray. Efforts should be made to continuously pond water in the fields prone to this deficiency.

Zinc deficiency first appears as reddish-brown spots on the older leaves followed by their extension to the other leaves accompanied by poor tillering. The affected plants give bushy appearance. Severely affected plants look rusty and eventually dry. The best way to correct this deficiency is to topdress 25 kg heptahydrate zinc sulphate (containing 21.5 per cent zinc) or 15 kg of monohydrate zinc sulphate (containing 33 per cent zinc) per acre.