Hyderabad: Crop at the threshold of harvest across the state now faces pests and disease. Paddy, which is at grain filling to harvesting stage has been hit by stem borer, leaf folder, blast, sheath blight, cut worm in Nalgonda, Jagtial, Bhongir, Adilabad, Khammam and Mancherial districts.
Cotton, which is in ball formation to second picking stage, is affected by bacterial leaf spot, fusarium wilt, sucking pests, leaf spot in Jangoan, Yadadri, Nalgonda, Adilabad and Khammam districts. These and other crops were sown during dharif.
“We received reports about pests and diseases on various crops. We are guiding farmers to take necessary steps to check the same and save the crops. We don’t see any big threat to the crops which are at harvesting stage,” agriculture secretary C. Parthasarathy told DC.
Maize, which is at cob formation and harvesting stage is afflicted by stem borer and blight, red gram which is at flowering to pod formation stage is hit by leaf webber wilt, pod borer according to reports reaching the agriculture department.
Agriculture officials say green gram, black gram were already harvested while jowar is at harvesting stage.
Groundnut crop, which is at flowering to harvesting stage, is also suffering from aphids in Warangal, soya bean by aphids and leaf spot in Adilabad and Warangal.
Heavy rains not only brought cheers to farmer during the just ended Kharif but also caused immense damage to crops, especially the much-sought after soya bean crop.
Yaasangi season (Rabi) has just begun where paddy is in nursery stage, jowar, maize, Bengal gram sowing to seedling stage while green gram, black gram, groundnut, soya bean and chilli sowing is in progress.
“The total area sown in the state this Yaasangi or Rabi is 1.92 lakh hectares as on date as against the total season normal of 12.11 lakh hectares. Bengal gram, black gram and groundnut sowing have almost completed by 51 per cent to 75 per cent, while other crops are picking up,” another official said.
