Perambalur: A team of two members from the Sugarcane Research Station of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Cuddalore inspected standing sugarcane crops that have been impacted by Pokkah Boeng, a fungal disease known to cause significant yield loss in certain cane varieties, reports The Hindu.
The team, comprised of M. Jayachandran, Professor of Agronomy, and S. Thangeswari, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology from the Sugarcane Research Station in Cuddalore, visited the affected fields in Puduvettakudi. These fields are cultivated by the public sector Perambalur Sugar Mills Ltd. In addition to the fungal disease, some crops in the village also exhibited signs of infestation by mealy bugs and yellow leaf disease.
During a consultative meeting held at Nallarikkai village in Veppur Panchayat Union, the scientists engaged with farmers from Puduvettakudi, Maruthaiyankovail, and other villages. They proposed various measures to address the issues faced by the affected crops, including methods to control the Pokkah Boeng disease and other related ailments.
Dr. Jayachandran said that the Pokkah Boeng disease had been identified in two sugarcane varieties in certain regions of Tamil Nadu over the past six months. The disease has since been brought under control and managed through the intervention of the State government.
