'Chinese virus' hits Punjab's paddy fields; false smut also detected
Punjab's paddy harvest is having a rough year—first floods, and now two crop diseases are making things worse.
Farmers are dealing with false smut (also called haldi rog), which looks scary but barely affects yield, and a much bigger problem: the southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV), nicknamed the "Chinese virus."
Both have experts on alert as they threaten already struggling fields.
SRBSDV is the real worry; state agriculture department is acting
False smut shows up as yellow powdery balls on grains during the August rains, but Dr. Mandeep Singh Hunjan from Punjab Agricultural University says it's not super contagious and can be managed if farmers spray fungicide early—just don't overdo it or wait too long.
The real worry is SRBSDV, which stunts plants and has hit about 11,000 acres in districts like Patiala this season.
The state agriculture department is urging farmers to pull out infected plants fast and keep an eye out for symptoms to stop things from getting worse.