Red Rot in sugarcane, department alert

 Red Rot in sugarcane, department alert

 Saharanpur: Farmers cultivating sugarcane are worried about the sugarcane crop these days, because the outbreak of Red Rot disease is visible in the sugarcane crop due to which there is a possibility of decline in the production of sugarcane.  This disease has appeared on sugarcane crop in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.  An outbreak of this disease has been seen in Deoband and Gagnoli sugar mill areas of the district.  This disease is increasing rapidly in sugarcane.  Sugarcane affected by this disease dries up and causes damage to the crop.  In this regard, Distric Cane Officer Sushil Kumar has advised the farmers to take precautions so that the sugarcane is protected from red rot disease.

 He said,  "Red Rot is a major and chronic disease of sugarcane which is also called sugarcane cancer.  This disease is found in about 114 sugarcane producing countries in the world. Important varieties like-  J.  64 and co.  Sha.  8436. Due to this disease, it has almost disappeared from normal.  Similarly, from time to time many varieties of sugarcane have been rejected due to red rot disease.  At present, the most popular and promising variety in sugarcane, 0238, has also been badly affected by red rot disease."

 "The initial symptoms of this disease become clearly visible on the leaves of plants in the month of July.  Garland-shaped irregular spots are formed on both the midribs of the third and fourth leaves of the affected sugarcane shoots and later these spots surround the entire midrib and the leaves start drying up from one or both the edges.  Gradually the entire circle dries up.  The actual color of the sugarcane changes. If the sugarcanes affected by red rot are cut and seen, the middle part appears red in color and white spots are visible at various places inside it.  When sugarcane incision is smelled, it smells like alcohol and the pulp of the nodes also rots."

"The crops standing in the field suddenly dry up.  When the Pori becomes dry, ash-like mold also appears in the hollow part of it. The disease spreads rapidly during the rainy season.  When the nodes dry, numerous fungal pathogens start growing on their outer surface, which spread through wind and water during the rainy season and make even healthy sugarcane sick.  The upper nodes of such dry sugarcane affected by the disease automatically break and fall.  On which there are innumerable germs of disease.  Thus, during the rainy season, due to the spread of clusters of spores formed by the wind or the flow of germs present on the spores lying on the ground from one field to another by rain water, the disease starts spreading rapidly.  Often, in unfavorable environment, instead of the pathogen spreading, the nodes remain dormant; as soon as the favorable time comes, the disease starts spreading in the sugarcane pulp.  Due to this incidence there can be up to 100 percent loss in yield.  Therefore, the diseased crop sugarcane should not be sown, because there is a strong possibility of the disease spreading." He added.