CHANDIGARH NEWS

Himachal cabbage crop hit by fungal disease

Updated on Sep 18, 2021 11:27 AM ISTBy HT Correspondent

Cabbage crop in a dozen villages of the remote Chhota-Bhangal valley in Kangra district has been hit by a fungus causing blackleg disease.

Scientists visited Dyot, Kothikohar, Nalhota, Badagran and Lohardi villages, the main cabbage-producing areas, earlier this week to examine the vegetable crops, particularly cabbage.

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“The cabbage crop has been hit by blackleg disease, caused by a fungus called Phoma lingam. It attacks many brassica crops and spreads rapidly. Plants can be affected at the seedling stage or at any stage in the field. Common symptoms are slight lesions on stems at cotyledon scars which elongate, turn brown with a black to purplish border, and become sunken, causing the stem to girdle and blacken,” said Arun Sood, the principal extension specialist, extension directorate of Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University (HPAU), Palampur.RELATED STORIES

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Farmers told about sprays to treat crop

Infected plants wilt, lodge, and die. On root crops, symptoms occur in the form of cankers on the fleshy roots and a dry rot may appear in storage.

Sood said black rot has been found infecting the cabbage crop. “Farmers have been told to treat the crop by spraying a solution of 3gm copper oxychloride per litre of water or 1% Bordeaux mixture,” he said.

Farmers have been advised to treat the seed with Bavistin fungicide while sowing.

The infected plants must be uprooted and destroyed and drainage of water in fields should be ensured, the scientist said.

A total of 152 hectares is under cabbage cultivation in the valley.

Monoculture increases disease risk

Kangra deputy director, agriculture, Jeet Singh Thakur said farmers have been urged to adopt the crop cycle to avoid infection. Continuous cropping increases the possibility of disease spread. The farmers in Chhota-Bhangal grow only one crop in a year. This is also an off season crop there.

Phoma lingam can survive for up to four years in the seed and three years in infected crop debris. “So, crop rotation is the best way for disease management. Radish, potato, coriander and French beans could be options. They can rotate these crops for the next two-three years so that the pathogen dies in the soil,” he said, adding that farmers of Chhota Bhangal have abandoned potato farming otherwise it was grown there in abundance.

The scientists found that the kidney beans crop was also affected by angular leaf spot disease, which can be treated by spraying 1gm Bastivin/litre of water solution.

Besides Sood, the team of experts comprised district agriculture officer Sushil Kumar and specialist Renu Sharma.

Chhota Bhangal valley is a remote village in Baijnath sub division of Kangra district.

The main source of income of locals is cultivation of cash crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, and kidney beans.SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON