Agriculture dept alert on yellow rust on wheat crop

Manish Sirhindi

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Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 30

The state Agriculture Department has sounded an alert on yellow rust on the wheat crop.

The department has told district agricultural officers to constitute special surveillance teams to keep tabs on any occurrence and subsequent spread of the disease.

Agricultural experts from the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) had — during a recent visit — spotted yellow rust on the wheat crop in the Kandi belt of Punjab.

Signs of yellow rust had been spotted in certain areas in the districts of Anandpur Sahib and Ropar. Later, the state Agriculture Department found the disease at two different spots in Hoshiarpur district.

Punjab Director Agriculture Gurdial Singh said yellow rust was found at two places in Hoshiarpur and few places at Anandpur Sahib and Ropar areas. He said that these patches were not more than 2x2m, but as any further spread of the disease could mean losses for farmers, the department was keeping an eye on it.

He said yellow rust, which was also known as stripe rust, had so far affected only HD-2967 variety of wheat and remedial measures had being initiated. “The disease gets aggravated with increase in humidity, but as the weather is not that humid these days, its spread can be curtailed,” he said.

District agricultural officer Virender Singh said that no patches of yellow rust had been spotted in the district but a through vigil was being maintained.

“Farmers have been advised to consult experts for confirmation of yellow rust and to spray a solution of Propiconazole 25 EC (Tilt) or Tiebuconazole 250 EC (folicur) or Triademephon 25 WP (Bayleton) to control its spread.

The Punjab Agriculture University had recently issued an advisory to the farmers.