Yellow Rust Incidence in Wheat in Haryana, Punjab Raises Fear

The yellow rust disease in the wheat crops in some parts of Punjab and Haryana has raised tension among farmers about a drop in the total production. As per reports, the detection of this yellow rust disease in the sub-mountainous parts of these two states has raised alarm and the respective farm departments are taking every measure to ensure the spread of disease to not go beyond control, say reports.

As per the report, the agriculture officials from both the Sates are in the fields advising farmers to adopt remedial measures to deal with the situation. The yellow rust has been reported in a few villages of Ropar, Hoshiarpur and Pathankot districts in Punjab while, in Haryana, it has been detected in a few villages of Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Ambala districts.

What is Yellow Rust Disease?

Yellow rust is a fungal disease that turns the leaves into yellowish color and affects the photosynthesis activity, which eventually could result in a drop of yield.

Sutantar Airi, Director, Punjab Agriculture department told in front of media, “We have received reports of yellow rust on wheat crop in a few villages of Ropar, Pathankot, and Anandpur Sahib districts. It’s in a very limited area that the crop has been affected as of now, but we are not taking any chances and our team of experts has reached the fields to monitor the situation. However, at this stage, it’s not threatening.” 

“After the rain in the past few days, the minimum temperature has risen a bit coupled with slight humid conditions. However, in the next 3-4 days, it is likely to dip,” said Surinder Pal, Director, India Meteorological Department, and Chandigarh.

Pargat Singh, chief patron (Ropar) of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur), who has sown wheat in nearly 14 acres, said, “It can’t be ignored as it can spread quickly and can cause severe losses in crop yield, if not checked in time,” he said, adding that the government should remain in a constant state of vigil to control the situation.