Watch out for yellow rust, scientists tell farmers

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, January 15

Two cases of yellow rust, a fungal disease that hampers wheat productivity, have been detected so far in the fields of Ropar and Gurdaspur in Punjab.

Though both cases are in patches, scientists of the Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) have sounded an alarm for the region and issued an advisory to farmers, asking them to be more vigilant in their fields.

As per the scientists, the climatic conditions are conducive to the spread of yellow rust and farmers should intensify their vigil to detect and stop the spread of stripe rust.

The cases of yellow rust in around 0.5 sq yard on fields in Gurdaspur and Ropar had been detected last week, following which a team of scientists paid a visit there, said GP Singh, Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research. Director.

He added that during their visit, scientists confirmed the presence of yellow rust in two fields and collected samples to ascertain the type of pathogen, which would be analysed at the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research and Flower Dale in Shimla.

The institute Director maintained that farmers need not panic and should be more watchful about their fields as rain was expected in the coming days. He said fluctuation in temperature could also lead to the occurrence of stripe rust.

If farmers found any symptoms of yellow rust in their fields, they should contact any agriculture officer, Krishi Vigyan Kendra or wheat research institute nearby for confirmation, he said. Yellow colour on leaves was not yellow rust every time, he pointed out.

The Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research Director said yellow rust affected photosynthesis by forming yellow stripes on leaves, which further led to shrinking of grain size.

Last year, yellow rust had been detected in patches in fields of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, he said. Fluctuation in temperature was one of the reasons of the occurrence last year, he added.

“Yellowing of leaves is not stripe rust every time. If a turmeric-like colour appears on the fingers or white cloth after rubbing infected leaves, it is stripe rust. Farmers should contact scientists for further treatment,” he asserted.

He appealed to farmers to spray 0.1 per cent solution of propiconazole, tiebuconazole or triademephon if there was yellow rust in the fields.