Continuous cold and fog have brought the fungal disease late blight to potato plants in Thakurgaon. For the same reason, boro rice seedbeds in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat are at risk of being ruined, leaving farmers in difficulty.

On the agriculture department's advice, farmers are spraying fungicide to stop late blight, which is raising the cost of growing potatoes. Meanwhile, farmers are covering their seedbeds with polythene to save them.

According to the Thakurgaon district office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), low temperatures and continuous dense fog help fungal diseases spread in potato plants. A sudden drop in cold also increases fungal infection. In such conditions late blight appears in potato fields, and yields fall alarmingly.

Ataur Rahman of Borogaon village in Sadar upazila said: "I spent Tk 60,000 growing potatoes on two bighas. Late blight has appeared on one bigha. First the leaves of affected plants get scorched, then the plants die. I keep spraying fungicide to save the field."

A visit to Sadar upazila last Tuesday and Wednesday found many farmers spraying fungicide on potato fields in the Yakubpur, Baikunthapur, Farabari, Chameshwari, Bhulli and Balia areas.

Md Aftab Hossain, deputy director of the DAE district office, said that to prevent late blight, any copper fungicide should be applied to potato fields at the approved dose during cold waves and dense fog. Once the weather improves there is no need to spray. Many farmers are wasting money by spraying fungicide without understanding this.

A visit to Patgram upazila last Wednesday and Thursday found farmers in Dhabalsuti, Gatiarvita, Kauamari, Panbari, Daulatpur, Lakshmanarther Kamat, Jhakuatari, Chatrarpar, Singimarirpar and Mirjarkot villages covering their seedbeds with polythene.

Sahidul Islam of Panbari village said most of the seedlings in his seedbed have already been ruined. About 15 to 20 days before transplanting, the seedbeds are turning yellow and slowly rotting. Even where seedlings do come up, they are not growing.

Upazila agriculture officer Abdul Gaffar said the agriculture department is advising farmers to use polythene covers to protect seedbeds from the cold and fog.

Source: Prothom Alo. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.