Date:24/08/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/08/24/stories/2003082404580300.htm

Southern States - Karnataka

Bacterial wilt affects potato crop

By Our Staff Correspondent

HASSAN AUG. 23. There seems to the no end to the plight of potato farmers in Hassan district. After the failure of the monsoon, it is the turn of bacterial wilt, followed by the exorbitant price of potato tubers, to affect them.

The potato crop in the district has fallen prey not only to bacterial wilt (Soragu roga) but also to mite and viral attacks (Karikaddi and Haladi Nanju rogas).

Potato, the cultivation of which became popular among farmers in the late Sixties, is now an important commercial crop in the district. The cultivation is concentrated in Hassan, Belur, and Arkalgud taluks, and the most common variety is Kufri Jyothi. The crop needs great care since it cannot survive heavy rainfall or stagnant water. It thrives well in red loamy or alluvial loamy soil.

After facing successive droughts and with no pre-monsoon showers, farmers showed little interest in cultivating the crop this year. However, in areas having irrigation facility, cultivation was taken up, though the tubers were priced high. Now with the poor monsoon showers, they are facing problems. The area of land under potato cultivation has shrunk from 25,000 hectares to 17,840 hectares. The farmers are in distress owing to the diseases that hit the crop.

Though mite and viral diseases are bothering growers, it is bacterial wilt that is disturbing them most. Bacterial wilt, transmitted through aphids, attacked the crop to a large extent.

B.L. Basavaraju, scientist at the Agriculture Research Station at Kandali, told The Hindu that the diseases had affected nearly 25 per cent of the crop cultivated in the district. This would increase, if proper treatment was not given in time. He said Heragu, Madenur, and Kattihalli in Hassan taluk were the worst affected areas.He said that bacterial wilt could not be controlled, but with the use of bleaching powder, farmers could prevent its spread. The disease occurred normally between the 40th and 50th day when the crop started flowering.