Paddy crop in Ambala comes under black planthopper attack

Nitish Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Ambala, September 24

Black planthopper has attacked paddy fields in Ambala district. However, the pest attack is in its first stage and agriculture experts have advised farmers to drain out rainwater, else the hopper might hit the crop on a larger scale.

Besides planthopper, leaffolder and false smut have also attacked the paddy crop. However, experts say that there is no need to panic as these are still in the manageable stage.

Gurpreet Singh, a farmer from Chaurmastpur village, says, “I have sown paddy in nearly 24 acres and black hopper has badly affected the crop. I am spending a lot of money on insecticides and other sprays to save the crop. The pest will badly hit the yield as well as crop quality”.

Similarly, Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Govindgarh, and Dilip Singh, a resident of Gorsiya village, have been making efforts to save their Pusa-1121 and CSR 30 varieties from being damaged by the hopper. There have been reports of hopper attack from villages in Barara and Samalheri too.

Vikram Singh, a subject matter specialist (plant protection) at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tepla, says, “Planthopper is a plant-sucking insect that sucks the juice of the plant due to which its leaves turn yellow before turning brown and dying, resulting in a low yield. Farmers should check their fields regularly and use ‘Buprofezin’ to get rid of the hopper”.

“Leaffolder caterpillars fold a rice leaf around themselves and attach the leaf margins with silk strands. They feed inside the folded leaf, creating longitudinal white and transparent streaks on the blade. However, the insects must have been washed away in the recent rain. Similarly, false smut, a fungal disease, has also hit the crop. Farmers should carefully remove the effected plants, as the disease spreads quickly with winds. They should also consult experts before using any insecticide or fungicide”, he adds.

Nearly 84,000 hectares are under paddy crop in Ambala this year and aromatic rice varieties have been planted on nearly 25 per cent of the land.

Agriculture Department officials say farmers should not worry much as the attack is in its early stage and is manageable with regular sprays. Deputy Director Agriculture SS Yadav says, “There have been no reports of any major loss due to leaffolder or black hopper so far. A survey will be conducted. Farmers need to be cautious as brown hopper is yet to come”.