Farmers in Gazipur district have become frustrated as pest attacked aman paddy in several areas recently.
Sreepur upazila agriculture officer ASM Moydul Hasan said the paddy had been planted on 13,000 hectares of land in eight unions under Sreepur upazila this year.
Of them, the paddy of 20 bisghas in Bhanghati, Uzilab Telihati unions are attacked severely by Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB),a monsoon disease. The incidence and severity of it is very much influenced by rainfall.
The paddies in theses areas turned yellow and dry. Farmers wanted to get away from it, but it had drastically reduced the plant.
Without natural control, damage to the paddy was severe if farmers reduced their insecticide use, said the officer.
There are 31 agriculture officers in 38 blocks in the district. But they do not visit their areas timely. As a result, the farmers are deprived of proper training about the pest attack.
Abu Sayed, assistant officer of the upazila agriculture office, said BLB is an important disease that causes significant yield reduction of crops.
It spreads rapidly from rice plant to rice plant and from field to field in water droplets. Infected leaves develop lesions, yellow, and wilt in a matter of days. Broadening of the genetic base for identification and transfer of genes for BLB resistance from wild relatives of rice is an important strategy in resistance breeding programs.
The people should become conscious about the disease, he said. Recently fake fertilizer and insecticides have flooded the market. The farmers should be alert about it, he added.
Farmer Zahirul Islam of Uzilab village said: “I have planted the paddy on two acres of land this year. The paddy of the land dried out due to the pest attack.”
Mokter Hossain of Telihati union said: “ We have urged the concern authorities about the incident. But we have not get any help yet.”
The upazila agriculture officer special team had been formed to supervise the affected area.
