ALAPPUZHA: The scorching sun that has kept people hopping on their toes is now threatening to burn down the hopes of paddy farmers in Kuttanad, some of whom have begun harvesting the ‘puncha' crop, and others, who are just about to begin. The ‘puncha' round of cultivation here, for which seeds were sown in October-November in about 27,000 hectares, has seen harvest completed in around 14,000 hectares. While the yield in areas where seed was sown earlier and wh
ere harvest is complete is almost on the same lines as the previous season, the situation in the rest is yet to become clear. According to Principle Agriculture Officer Jose Joseph, the heat over the last one week could sap the energy from the plant, affecting grain production and in turn, the overall weight.
Advice to farmers
Though farmers were advised to let water in and out of the paddy fields to keep the ground moist, many were not doing this. The reason was their apprehension that the moist ground might make it difficult for the combine harvester machine to move around during the harvest. The impact of this would be known in a couple of days as the heat has shown no signs of abating. On the other hand, with no serious pest damage reported so far, the season has been trouble-free, unlike most of the previous ‘puncha' seasons. Some minor pest attacks were tackled effectively with timely intervention from the Agriculture Department and the Centre for Pest Management, Mankombu, Mr. Joseph said. “There is no shortage of combine harvester machines either. We have 258 machines on the fields right now,” Mr. Joseph said. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department's Agromet advisory bulletin for rice in Kuttanad has cautioned farmers that there is a possibility of the False Smut disease due to the prevailing weather conditions.
Source: The Hindu, Dated: 17.03.2010
ere harvest is complete is almost on the same lines as the previous season, the situation in the rest is yet to become clear. According to Principle Agriculture Officer Jose Joseph, the heat over the last one week could sap the energy from the plant, affecting grain production and in turn, the overall weight.Advice to farmers
Though farmers were advised to let water in and out of the paddy fields to keep the ground moist, many were not doing this. The reason was their apprehension that the moist ground might make it difficult for the combine harvester machine to move around during the harvest. The impact of this would be known in a couple of days as the heat has shown no signs of abating. On the other hand, with no serious pest damage reported so far, the season has been trouble-free, unlike most of the previous ‘puncha' seasons. Some minor pest attacks were tackled effectively with timely intervention from the Agriculture Department and the Centre for Pest Management, Mankombu, Mr. Joseph said. “There is no shortage of combine harvester machines either. We have 258 machines on the fields right now,” Mr. Joseph said. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department's Agromet advisory bulletin for rice in Kuttanad has cautioned farmers that there is a possibility of the False Smut disease due to the prevailing weather conditions.
Source: The Hindu, Dated: 17.03.2010
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