A
ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
A ProMED-mail post
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org>
Date: August 24, 2007 [ProMED regrets the
extraordinary delay in posting]
Source: The Rising Nepal [edited]
<http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=25582>
Unknown diseases destroyed 200 bighas of paddy at Madhubhan and
Prakashpur, Sunsari district.
"The field was green 2 weeks ago, but it suddenly turned yellow
and the plants wilted," Man Bahadur Khatri, a farmer, adding "We
are afraid of the unknown disease that destroyed our paddy."
Krishna Kumari Rai said, "We have used medicines with a hope
that it would cure the disease but it did [not] work at all."
The experts have taken specimens of the plants for
investigation. They said that the Indian variety could have
caused the disease.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Quick yellowing and wilting of large areas of rice could have a
number of causes, including some fungal or bacterial pathogens,
insect pests, or environmental factors. Without further
information it is not possible to speculate on a possible cause.
Equally, it is not clear what 'medicines' could have been used
by the farmers.
Fertilisers, which would counteract yellowing due to nutrient
deficiencies, may be one possibility. If the Indian variety
referred to is the one showing symptoms it may have succumbed to
a local pathogen endemic to the region to which local cultivars
have some resistance. Alternatively, if the Indian variety is
symptomless and local varieties affected, a pathogen may have
been imported to the region.
The bigha is a unit of measurement of area of land, commonly
used in Nepal, Bangladesh, and in a few states of India. The
size of a bigha may vary considerably depending on the region
and ranges from 1500 to
6771 sq m about (approx. 1800-8100 sq yds). In Nepal, a bigha is
about 2603.7 sq m (3114 sq yds).
Maps
Nepal:
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/nepal_pol90.jpg>
Districts and municipalities:
<http://www.un.org.np/reports/maps/npcgis/NatBio00004.jpg>
Links
Description of major diseases of rice via:
<http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/riceDoctor_MX/default.htm>
Nepal measurement converter:
<http://www.nepalhomepage.com/converter/>
. - Mod.DHA]
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