Experts caution Pun, Haryana wheat growers against yellow rust

Wheat growers in Punjab and Hshould keep a vigil on their winter crop following the appearance of season's first yellow rust attack in Yamunanagar district, experts said today.
With weather conditions remaining suitable for the spread of disease, farm scientists at Karnal-based Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR) said it has the potential of spreading from unrecommended varieties of wheat to even the recommended ones.
This could adversely impact the overall yield, they said.
"Farmers are required to be made aware of yellow rust disease at this stage as the disease has been spotted at a farm in Yamunanagar."
"The crop is currently at tillering and if yellow rust comes at this stage, then there can be extensive loss to the crop," DWR Project Director Indu Sharma said.

The institute has found that high intensity yellow rust had attacked wheat crop in Yamunanagar in Haryana.

It is a fungal disease which turns crop's leaves into yellowish colour and stops photosynthesis.
It damaged over 1,000 hectares of crop in Yamunanagar last year, Sharma Said.
"We are now having foggy weather and then sunshine and again fog which are very congenial for disease," she said.
The unrecommended varieties of wheat are more vulnerable to the disease. Recommended varities are not immune either.
"Yellow rust hits unrecommended wheat varieties like WH-711, Super 21. But this disease can also spread to recommended varieties as well if suitable steps are not taken to contain the attack," she said.

So far, the disease has not been spotted in any other district of the two states besides Yamunanagar.
Punjab and Haryana have about 38 and 25 lakh hectares of land under wheat crop respectively.