Fungal rot disease hits ginger crop

Ginger crop has been infected with fungal rot disease owing to heavy rain that lashed the district recently.

The symptoms of the disease are rotting of tubers and yellowing of leaves. The affected plants will die in a few days.

Last year, ginger was cultivated on 12,500 acres of land in the district. The cultivation had proved profitable as the price of the produce was Rs. 18,000 a quintal. Owing to the remunerative price, the area of cultivation of ginger increased to 15,000 acres this year.

Deputy Director of Department of Horticulture M. Vishwanath told

The Hindu that around 15 per cent of the crop in the district has been infected with the disease. Excess moisture content in the weather was responsible for it. The infection was severe in ginger plots in low-lying areas of Hosanagar, Sagar and Shikaripur taluks. Agricultural fields in some villages here had remained inundated for more than 10 days because of heavy rain. Farmers have been asked to construct drainages in their fields to avoid water-logging, he said.

Suresh, a marginal farmer from Kallukoppa village, has been cultivating paddy on two acres of land from many years. He switched over to ginger this year expecting high returns. But the crop has been infected with fungal rot disease. He said the yield will decline owing to infection and the tubers affected with rot will be purchased at a throw away price.

Mr. Suresh said that he incurred Rs. 30,000 expense to cultivate ginger. “I was planning to dig a borewell with the money I get from selling the ginger. I have to postpone the plan as the returns will not be on the expected lines,” he said.

Mr. Vishwanath said that farmers should treat the infected plants with metalaxyl solution. The Department of Horticulture has organised a series of awareness programmes to help farmers, he added.

Fungal rot disease hits ginger crop

15 per cent of the crop has been affected, says official