BARGARH:WITH Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) attack on paddy crop during kharif this year causing havoc in the district, the Agriculture department has chalked out plan for pest management for the ensuing rabi season.The department has planned to create awareness among farmers to apply neem-based fertilisers and Trichoderma on the kharif paddy stubble just after harvest to minimise pest incidence in crop. Trichoderma is an effective biological mean for plant disease management, especially the soil born. It is a free-living fungus which is common in soil and root ecosystems.
Besides, farmers will be advised to adopt crop rotation with non-paddy crops wherever feasible. Use of neem cake, mahua cake, neem oil as well as neem-based pesticides will be popularised among farmers to reduce the pest incidence.
This apart, paddy line transplanting/sowing and System of Rice Intensification (SRI) will be popularised through agricultural field functionaries. These practices will ensure least incidence of pest and disease in paddy crop.
Moreover, farmers will be advised to purchase recommended pesticides from registered dealers in consultation with the agricultural functionaries.As per reports, standing paddy crop over 43,037.83 hectares (ha) of land was affected due to BPH pest during kharif season this year in the district. Of the total 43,037.83 ha, crop loss between 33 per cent and 50 per cent was recorded over 29,977.92 ha. Crop loss above 50 per cent was recorded over 7207.22 ha due to pest attack.
Deputy Director of Agriculture, Bargarh, Naba Kishore Das said crop loss was reported due to heavy infestation of BPH pest in paddy crop during kharif season. A special drive will be undertaken to create awareness among farmers for control of BPH in irrigated areas where rabi paddy are to be grown. He further said stubbles should not be burnt but left in the soil to decompose so that the left out egg and larva of the pest are destroyed. Dealers will be trained on technical use of pesticide and fertiliser, Das added.