Red alert across UP districts over 'red rot' disease in sugarcane

BIJNOR: After last year's heavy losses due to 'red rot', sugarcane growers across UP are worried again after the disease surfaced in the Terai region. The UP cane department has started holding meetings across districts to prevent a repeat of last season. Officials said the disease had "destroyed 25% of the crop last year".
Red rot is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum falcatum.The fungus mainly infects the '0238' variety of cane, and the department has advised farmers to replace it with other varieties. However, farmers say the seed wasn't made available in adequate quantities.
Seohara's senior cane development inspector, Virendra Nath Sahay, who has been part of the meetings, said on Tuesday, "UP cane commissioner has put all cane officers on alert. We are holding meetings to make farmers more aware about the disease. In the current season, many farmers replaced the '0238' variety with new ones. But, some farmers are still growing the earlier one and we want them to replace it next year. We've provided new varieties this year."
Sahay added: "We're appealing to cane growers they should uproot infected plants, burn them and put bleaching powder there, it will help prevent the disease."
Known as "cancer" of sugarcane crop, red rot, which usually spreads in the rainy season, has started appearing in major cane cultivating regions of UP, causing considerable panic among farmers.
According to officials, the disease occurs when a particular variety is sown for a long time and not changed. The disease also grows and spreads when farmers don't treat seeds and soil properly.Notably, 50% of 46 lakh cane farmers in the state cultivate the 'CO 0238 variety' which is most sought after as its yield is 2.5 times more than regular ones.