Green gram crop hit by yellow patch disease in Belagavi dist

Belagavi: Green gram, rich in proteins and carbohydrates, is among the most extensively cultivated crops across North Karnataka, and during the monsoon months, one finds shoots of this plant emerging in think green stalks from the black soil of the region.
In the taluks of Ramadurga, Bailhongal and Savadatti in Belagavi district, the crop has been hit by yelllow patch disease, triggering fears among the farming community of a decline in the yield.
Farmers, who were already fretting over excessive rainfall lashing Belagavi district over the past few days, now have a new problem on their hands: yellow vain mosaic virus.
A yellow circle on the young leaves of the green gram plant is the indicator of this virus, and this circular blot of yellow has now left many fields in the border district pockmarked. The virus, once it spreads to neighbouring leaves, turns that entire plant yellow. In some cases, if the virus infects a plant that is still in its nascent stage, it could lead to the death of the green gram plant before seeds have sprouted. Farmers fear a decline of more than 50% in their yield. Although pesticides can help combat the problem, continuous rainfall in the region has rendered this option moot.
Belagavi-based farmer Pandappa Meeshi, who has planted green gram on his three-acre plot, told TOI, “The moist weather is helping the virus spread to the plants. Thankfully, the agriculture department is assisting us in combating this disease.”
Joint director, department of agriculture, SS Patil said, “Green gram is cultivated across more than 40,000 hectares in Belagavi. Since this disease was found affecting the crop in the district, we have launched a campaign to alert farmers, to ensure they remain vigilant.”
He called on the farmers to uproot infected plants, and burn them, to prevent the virus from spreading to the other plants on the fields. “Jassids, aphids, thrips and the white fly are insects that help spread this virus. So, farmers must use thiomephahxam, along with APSY-80 adhesive, to combat this disease,” Patil said.