Several farmers of Sanaur in Patiala district have claimed that their tomato and potato crops have been damaged by blight disease, triggered by bad weather and fog.

Chemical spray suggested

The damage to the crop has been around 70% in Patiala. In certain pockets, where the damage is less than 50%, PAU experts have suggested chemical spray. Navneet Kaur, Horticulture development officer, Patiala

Officials of the Horticulture Department said they had visited the villages to assess the damage and a report would be sent to the government. In Sanaur, tomato is grown on around 600 acres and crop affected by the blight disease means low produce, thus resulting in price rise.

Demanding compensation from the state government, farmers said bad weather damaged their crop.

Experts said, “Blight disease mainly affects tomatoes and potatoes. Once it takes hold, spores spread rapidly and wet weather encourages development of the fungus.” They advised farmers to apply recommended fungicides to prevent extensive damage to the crop.

At present, the late sown tomato crop has been the worst hit. Sahib Singh of Khudda village said, “In our village, tomato crop sown of 60 acres has been completely damaged. We used fungicide, but to no avail.”

Manvinder Singh of Fatehpur village said his crop on six acres had been damaged by the blight disease. “Officials should prepare a damage report and ensure that the farmers do not suffer losses,” he said.

Patiala Horticulture Development Officer Navneet Kaur said she along with a team of experts from the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, had visited the affected villages and a report had been prepared.

The PAU experts advised farmers to follow recommendations in order to prevent the harmful impact of late blight on the crops.

“Tomato crop is damaged around 70 per cent in Patiala. In certain pockets, where the damage is less than 50 per cent, the PAU experts have suggested chemical spray,” said Kaur, adding that she would submit a report to the department on Monday for necessary action.

Source - https://www.tribuneindia.com