Inclement weather affecting paddy crop in Tarn Taran

The unfavourable weather has started damaging paddy/basmati crop in the area because of black spots or lesions caused by the Paddy Blast disease which appears on leaves and panicles or by a black bog feed on the grains, causing black dots and leading to a foul odour and poor quality grains. These varieties are grown in all parts of the district, but in Khadoor Sahib tehsil, these have become the first choice as farmers often get three crops in a year, including potatoes or peas (Mattar).

With a break of one day on Saturday, there was heavy rain on the night of Saturday and it went on till noon on Sunday. In Khadoor Sahib sub-division, rainfall was reported to be 115 mm which has beaten all previous records in the last five years, informed a gauge reader in the Irrigation Department. There was 30 mm rainfall in Tarn Taran and 30 mm in Patti sub-division.

An agriculture expert said that the early varieties of paddy/basmati which includes Punjab-1509, PR-126, Pusa Basmati 1692 and 1847 have covered about 25 per cent of the area under rabi season in Tarn Tarn district. Tejinderpal Singh Rasulpur said that the early varieties have been infected with the Black Blast disease (Fungal infected) which appears on leaves and panicles and discolours the rice. This infected crop has no value in the market resulting in losses to the farmers.

Officials of the Irrigation Department said as there was heavy rainfall in the district from Saturday night till Sunday noon, major damage has been reported in mature crops.

Baba Sukha Singh, head of the Kar Sewa sect, Sarhali, said that the situation downstream of Harike Headworks is under control as 2.60 cusecs of water was flowing. The water level has crossed the danger mark but it has stopped increasing for the last three days and the weak embankments have been strengthened.