Farmers advised to monitor wheat fields

NEW DELHI: Conducive weather conditions across the northern plains were favourable for the spread of yellow rust disease on wheat crop said agriculture scientists.

The yellow rust disease of wheat is a serious fungal disease which, during the past few years, appears first in the sub-mountainous areas of Punjab in January and further spreads to the plain areas of the state in February.

P.P. Singh, head, department of plant pathology at the Punjab Agriculture University said that due to changing weather in terms of winds and light rains, the conditions were becoming favorable for the spread of this disease.

Reports regarding the appearance of this disease have been received from the plain areas of the state, he told, while cautioning the farmers against its further spread.

Dr Singh urged the farmers to monitor their wheat fields regularly and as per the need, follow the university recommendations of applying fungicides.
Earlier also, the PAU scientists had cautioned the farmers against the yellow rust attack on wheatcrop in some villages of sub-mountainous districts of the state.