�Blast� infestation in wheat

Farmers frustrated

Thousands of wheat farmers are frustrated as their wheat plants are withering due to attack by “blast”, a rare type of disease, this season.
Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said this type of infestation is first in this area in decades. An expert team, comprising scientists of Bangladesh wheat research institute and International Rice Research Institute visited the affected area recently to find out reasons behind such pest attack.
They said the farmers here are inclined to cultivate short duration cereal like wheat and pulses as cash crops following rapid decline of market price of paddy in recent time.
The DAE sources said the farmers of this district cultivated wheat on 9,780 hectares of land with a target to produce about 25,000 tonnes of wheat this season.
Wheat farmers of Bedhuria and Velumia and Ilisha unions, who expected a bumper  crop this season, suddenly found their  plants drying up following two days of cloudy weather and rain on the first of March.
Binoy Krishna Dey, district training officer of DAE in Bhola, said the untimely rain and cloudy weather might have caused the pest attack.
Proshanto Kumar Shaha, deputy director of DAE in Bhola, said the climatic condition is responsible for wheat blast, caused by fungus. He said field-level officers are now advising farmers to spray pesticides to get rid of wheat blast.

 

�Blast� infestation in wheat

Farmers frustrated

Thousands of wheat farmers are frustrated as their wheat plants are withering due to attack by blast, a rare type of disease, this season. Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said this type of infestation is first in this area in decades. An expert team, comprising scientists of Bangladesh wheat research institute and International Rice Research Institute visited the affected area recently to find out reasons behind such pest attack. They said the farmers here are inclined to cultivate short duration cereal like wheat and pulses as cash crops following rapid decline of market price of paddy in recent time. The DAE sources said the farmers of this district cultivated wheat on 9,780 hectares of land with a target to produce about 25,000 tonnes of wheat this season. Wheat farmers of Bedhuria and Velumia and Ilisha unions, who expected a bumper crop this season, suddenly found their plants drying up following two days of cloudy weather and rain on the first of March. Binoy Krishna Dey, district training officer of DAE in Bhola, said the untimely rain and cloudy weather might have caused the pest attack. Proshanto Kumar Shaha, deputy director of DAE in Bhola, said the climatic condition is responsible for wheat blast, caused by fungus. He said field-level officers are now advising farmers to spray pesticides to get rid of wheat blast.