Wheat farmers are advised to be vigilant against yellow rust pest

Based on the input from wheat researchers and the weather bureau, the Karnal-based Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) has appealed to the farmers to remain vigilant against yellow rust, a pest used to appear a few years ago in some districts of Haryana during this period.

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“Keeping in view the favourable humid weather for rust, farmers are advised to visit their crop regularly for observing stripe rust (yellow rust) incidence. If farmers observe and have incidence of yellow rust in their wheat fields, some measures as recommended should be taken,” said Gyanendra Singh, Director of IIWBR, the main research body of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The recommendations said one spray of Propiconazole 25EC @ 0.1 per cent or Tebuconazole 50 per cent + Trifloxystrobin 25 per cent WG @0.06 per cent be given at the infected area to avoid its further spread. The advisory further said that one ml of chemical should be mixed in one litre water and accordingly 200 ml fungicide mixed with 200 litres of water should be enough for one acre.

Singh said farmers who have applied one type of fungicide last year, should apply an alternate recommended fungicide this year and it should be sprayed when there is no rain or fog or dew.

“So far, there is no report of yellow rust from any parts. It could be either due to spread of newer varieties resistant to the disease or could be due to no rains in past few days. As such, cases earlier used to be reported during last week of December and first week of January. But we do not want to take any chance,” Singh told businessline.

Eyeing bumper crop

A bumper harvest of wheat this year is very crucial for the government, which has pegged the production at a record high of 114 million tonnes as the stock in the Central Pool as on April 1 may drop to a 16-year low.

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The conditions of the wheat crop are good everywhere and in next fortnight in many places where timely sowing has been done, there would be “heading” coming up in the plant, Singh said.

Weather conditions

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said that minimum temperature is in the range of 2-5 degree Celsius over many parts of Punjab and some parts of Haryana while it is 6-10 degree Celsius over many parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, north Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and north Chhattisgarh, the key wheat growing belt. It said rise in minimum temperatures by about 2 degree Celsius is likely to be seen over north-west India during next two days and no significant change thereafter.

Though light to moderate rainfall in isolated places have been predicted over Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh during next two days, there is no such forecast for Haryana, Punjab or west UP, where yellow rust earlier was appearing.

Dense to very dense fog conditions very likely to prevail for a few hours in late night/morning over many parts of Punjab, Haryana and west UP during next five days.

The IIWBR advisory also said that Nitrogen should be applied just before irrigation for better results. On weed management (Herbicide Spray) for late sown crop, it sad, “if there are both narrow and broad leaf weeds in wheat field then use Sulfosulfuron 75 WG @ 13.5 gm/acre or Sulfosulfuron+Metsulfuron at 16 gm/acre in 120-150 liters of water before the first irrigation or 10-15 days after irrigation.”

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