Patiala, August 1 - For the past few days, complaints of some dead plants in paddy have been received from various districts of Punjab, said Dr. Pasar Sikhya, director of Punjab Agricultural University. Makhan Singh Bhullar said that there can be many reasons for the wilting of plants. Scientists at Punjab Agricultural University are fully aware of this and are investigating it. Meanwhile, zinc deficiency has been observed in many places which can be a cause of lethargy and this can be solved by zinc supplementation. Apart from this, plant wilting can also be caused by a new rice virus, which was first observed in India in 2022. This virus is transmitted by the rice white-backed locust and can attack all existing varieties of rice. Plants affected by this disease are stunted, their leaves are pointed and the roots are less deep. This year, this disease virus has been found in some of the samples of paddy from various districts of Punjab such as Ropar, Mohali, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib. Dr PS Sandhu, Head, Plant Disease Department said that so far this disease has been seen only in a few farms. The disease spreads from diseased plants to healthy plants through white-backed grasshoppers. It is necessary to be aware of the presence of this pest in the field so that it does not spread the disease further. Dr. KS Suri, Principal Pest Vigiani, PAU informed that regular inspection of the paddy crop should be carried out for effective control of the pest (white-backed locust) that spreads this disease in the field. Keep a bulb lit near the field at night to see the arrival of locusts. If locust infestation is noticed then any insecticide like 94 ml Paxalen 10 SC or 60 g Ulala 50 WG or 80 g Ocean/Token/Domint 20 SG or 120 g S 50 WG or 400 ml Orchestra 10 S C or 300 ml Imagine 10 SC diluted in 100 liters of water per acre and sprayed at the roots of plants. Use a back pump and round nozzle for effective control. Diseased plants should be uprooted and buried deep in the field. Pesticides should be sprayed only as needed. Dr. Gurupdesh Kaur, in-charge, Kishi Vigyan Kendra, Patiala, informed that if the farmers see the possible disease of stunting in the field, they should closely monitor it.
Dr Hardeep Singh Sabikhi, Plant Pathologist, Science Centre, Patiala can be contacted.