Damauli. A blast disease has been detected in the paddy crop of Bandipur Rural Municipality-1, Nahala. Farmers have been requested to remain alert on time as the disease was detected during the monitoring of paddy crop planted in Nahala.

Dinesh Subarnakar, technical assistant at the agriculture section of the rural municipality, said that the farmers have been urged to contact the agriculture technical or agricultural development branch immediately in case of any problem related to paddy crop. According to him, blast disease is a type of fungal disease caused by rice and brinjal.

Stating that this is one of the major diseases in the paddy crop, he said, “This disease kills the seedlings and dries the paddy fields. It was first seen in 1966. Since the disease is also transmitted through seeds, it may have spread without treating the seeds or using sick plants in the areas where the disease occurred last year, he said.

Agriculture technician Suvarnakar said, “There are small white spots on the leaves of the diseased paddy crop, there is a problem of brown spots in the middle of the paddy, and in the growing paddy, there is a problem of brown spots around the stem or on the finger. When the fungus is favorable, it gradually forms a round, long eye-like shape in different parts, with gray color in the middle and brown color on the outside. ’

He suggested that seeds should be selected only from the original seeds that did not have disease last year to protect the paddy crop from this problem, keep the seeds well in the area where there is enough sunshine, and select husk from the seeds with the help of salt water.