The change in rainfall pattern coupled with pest attacks have emerged as a major concern for farmers in Wayanad, a prominent coffee, arecanut, rice and pepper growing regions in the State.
“The distribution of rainfall is important for agriculture, which is derived from the number of rainy days [a day with rainfall of more than or equal to 2.5 mm],” said Sajesh Jan, Assistant Professor, Department of Agriculture Meteorology, Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) of the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) at Ambalavayal in the district.
Data from the station revealed that there were a total of 88 rainy days during the year, whereas the normal number of rainy days is 147, Dr. Sajesh said, adding that it showed a 40% reduction in rainy days indicating that extreme rainfall events (high intense rain) were more this year too.
Incidentally, rains severely affected the Nanja crop.
“Since rice plants are in the flowering stage, heavy rainfall affects varieties such as Deepthy, Jeergasala, and Gandhakasala in the form of lodging of crops,” said K. Ajithkumar, Associate Director of Research, RARS. High rainfall may also affect pollination resulting in chaffy grains. Meanwhile, high humidity leads to diseases such as blast and sheath rot. The weather is most favourable for brown plant hopper, caseworm, and stem borer, he added.
As regards pepper, intense rainfall is most conducive for the spread of quick wilt disease. Waterlogging too is an issue in low-lying areas. In the case of ginger, the weather favours rhizome rot and soft rot diseases, while berry drop in Robusta coffee also increased considerably due to fungal diseases, he said.
Farming sources said that arecanut production had declined sharply after the spread of yellow leaf disease. Diseases such as bud rot and nut rot (Mahali) had ravaged the crop this year owing to heavy rain, sources said.
Farmers should ensure proper drainage in farms and adopt appropriate pest and disease management measures in accordance with the practices recommended by the KAU, Dr. Ajithkumar said.
