Yellow rust disease on cereals in the Konya plain
Yellow rust disease, caused by heat and high humidity in the spring months in wheat fields, stunts the plant’s development due to blistering on the leaves and causes the leaves to dry out.
Konya Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Ali Ergin said the risk of a yellow rust epidemic has increased due to increased rainfall in recent days and the effect of hot and humid weather.
Ergin said, “As the rainy season is expected to continue, our farmers need to check their planting areas. Our farmers must submit a request to our nearest addresses on the lands at risk of disease and start the chemical fight without delay to avoid product losses.”
THE RAINS BRING DISEASES WITH THEM
Burak Kırkgöz, head of the Konya branch of the Chamber of Agronomists, said the rainfall in April-May was about twice the average for many years.
Kırkgöz stated that the rainfall of more than 80 millimeters per square meter in May in the Konya Plain is very beneficial for cereals, saying:
“Because it will cover the water needs of the grain. It is very important for cereal fields. These rains can also bring some diseases. With the warming of the climate, some diseases are seen. Currently, the disease we call ‘yellow rust’ has started to manifest itself in Konya. We are found very densely, especially in the cereal fields.
We recommend our farmers to make medicine for this disease in the initial period. This spraying can be done until the plant enters the ripening period. We recommend that our farmers do this spraying for protection purposes, even in places where there are no diseases. During these periods, our farmers need to check their land more often.”
DELAYED DISPOSAL
Expressing that the grain harvest in the Konya Plain will start from July and there is a 10-day period for spraying, Kırkgöz said that the spread of the disease can be prevented by this fight.
Mehmet Arkan, one of the farmers in the Beyşehir district, said that they were smiling at the spring rains they had not seen for many years, saying, “The rains were very nice, but this year we saw the yellow rust disease in the wheat and barley.”
arkan said:
We sprayed, but we were late, it was not effective. As the rains continued, the medicine could not penetrate. We also saw the effect of fumigation in some of our fields. We went in with the tractor and we fought what we call foliar fumigation. The leaves are yellowed. The plant is weakened in places where the disease is affected. It negatively affects performance, albeit partially.” (AA)