‘Avoid excess use of nitrogen to control blast disease in paddy’

Farmers have been advised to avoid excess nitrogen by restricted usage of urea, ammonium chloride and DAP to control blast disease in paddy crop.

Virudhunagar district Joint Director of Agriculture, Uthandaraman, said that the disease causing black spots on the leaves and earheads have been found in paddy crops in Kariyapatti and Watrap regions.

Stating that the disease had affected paddy crops of particular varieties like BPT5204 (Deluxe Ponni), Ambai 16 and ADT 43, he said the weather condition with continuous rain for several days followed by dew drops settling on the leaves, has caused a conducive atmosphere for the fungal disease.

Initially small specks originate on leaves and subsequently enlarge into spindle-shaped spots.

Subsequently, it gives a burnt appearance. The black spots would lead to rotting of the earheads.

To prevent infection of blast disease, farmers should spray Pseudomonas 0.2% mixture. Two grams of the chemical in one litre of water or 2.5 kg for a hectare) should be sprayed on the crops 45 days after transplantation. It should be sprayed thrice with a gap of 19 days.

Nitrogen-based fertilizers should be used by mixing them with neem cake, he said. Similarly, Carbendazim 500 gm or Tricyclazole 75 should be sprayed on the entire crop.

For further details, the farmers an approach the officials from the Department of Agriculture, he said.