Shamiran Biswas

Bangladesh is gradually increasing the number of people and the intensity of winter. This will reduce the normal growth and yield of crops. Pollination of crops will be disrupted. The production of crops such as potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, etc. will be greatly reduced due to extreme cold. Due to severe cold and dense fog, the seedbeds of Boro are being destroyed. Farmers' beans, gourds, bitter gourds, sweet pumpkins, potatoes, vegetables and other agricultural fields are being destroyed.

It is worth noting that at this time of the season, there are various types of vegetables including winter crops potatoes, tomatoes, brinjals, chillies, mustard, beans and other vegetables in the field. In addition, there are Boro seedbeds in some places and Boro seedlings have been planted in some places. Farmers and field-level agronomists are worried about Boro seedbeds and transplanted rice being affected by cold injury and potato late blast disease in the ongoing cold wave. Although such weather is conducive to wheat production, when it rains, the fungal 'blast' disease can spread. The temperature has already dropped to 9-10 degrees Celsius in different parts of the country. As a result, farmers' concerns about the planted Boro seedbed and potatoes are gradually increasing. Although there is no fear of damage to Boro seed planting, there is some concern about the seedbed. Along with this, farmers are also worried about potatoes.

On the other hand, the government has discouraged wheat cultivation in some areas in the last few years due to fungal blast disease, but this time the situation is different. Boro seedbeds are being destroyed due to severe cold and dense fog. Even after spraying various types of fungicides, there is no significant result. According to the Meteorological Department, a cold wave is going on in different parts of the country, including the northern region, and it may continue.

The temperature in the northern region, which is known as the grain storehouse, has started to drop to the lowest. In this situation, there may be a fear of a Boro seedling crisis due to the death of the seedbed. Farmers say they are spraying fungicides on the seedbeds. They are also covering the seedbeds with polythene to protect the seedlings from the fog. There is also a concern about Boro due to the intense cold and fog. Boro seedbeds also cause problems when the winter is severe.

Potato blight occurs especially in winter when the fog increases. "Potato plants cannot tolerate extreme cold. That is why we worry when fog falls. Blight occurs not only in potatoes, but also in tomato fields. A few days of dense fog and intense cold have created fear among potato farmers in Bogra, Rajshahi and Joypurhat. There is a fear of potato leaves curling up in bigha after bigha of land, and leaves and stems rotting.

 They are applying fungicides to the land every four days. The farmer brothers said that the stems and leaves are affected by this disease one and a half to two months after planting potatoes. The Department of Agriculture has said that the field should be sprayed with fungicide at least once a week to protect it from this rotting disease called late blight. Farmers concerned say that the intensity of winter has increased considerably in the Rangpur region in the past few days. As most of the day is covered in fog, fungal attacks have appeared in the fields. In some places, rice seedlings are turning yellow and drying up.

Again, many seedling beds have been scorched and scorched. The 10-15-day-old seedlings in the field are dying with white and reddish colors. Here are some suggestions for what needs to be done now to protect Boro rice seedlings from extreme cold and dense fog: The seedbed should be immersed in irrigation water every evening and the water should be drained out the next morning. The seedlings should be exposed to sunlight. Keep 2-5 centimeters (0.78 to 2 inches) of water in the seedbed and occasionally drain the accumulated water and water again. You should inspect your Boro rice seedbed once every morning.

If the seedlings in the seedbed turn yellow, then you need to apply urea fertilizer at the rate of 200 grams per percent of the seedbed and if the yellowing does not decrease, you need to apply gypsum fertilizer at the rate of 100 grams per percent of the seedbed. If the seedbed is affected by leaf scorch disease, you should pull the rope in the morning to remove the mist from the seedlings and apply potash fertilizer at the rate of 50 grams per percent of the seedbed. In case of excessive cold, the temperature can be maintained by sprinkling ash on the seedbed. So, in this situation, you can sprinkle ash on the seedbed.

Prepare a dry seedbed of rice covered with transparent polythene. You can spray pesticides at the approved rate one week before lifting the seedlings from the seedbed. This will protect the seedlings in the seedbed from insect attacks. For more details, contact your nearest Assistant Agricultural Officer or Upazila Agricultural Office. Scientific officials of the Plant Pathology Department said, "It is important to take additional steps during cold spells. Otherwise, it will affect the overall boro production. To avoid the effects of cold spells at the field level, water from tube wells should be retained in the seedbed. In addition, the seedbed can be covered with polythene.

When dew falls, it should be drained. Along with this, fungicides and 280 grams of urea fertilizer per hundred square meters of land should be applied," In a country like ours, where due to warm weather and climate change, there are frequent unexpected changes in weather and temperature (hot and cold), soil organic matter is more depleted due to various floods and natural disasters. Therefore, even if our soil has three and a half percent organic matter, it is. "We have seen that this amount in the land is below 2 percent and even below 1 percent in some places. Scientists call soil organic matter the life of the soil.

Along with the extreme cold, unseasonal rains have caused hardship to the farmers. Many farmers are completely devastated by this unseasonal heavy rain. All the vegetable seedlings have died. They have to plant new seedlings. If the trees survive in such a disaster, hope is their only hope. Rabi season is the season of profit in crop cultivation. They spend a lot of money to see profit in the crop. Extreme cold is a big blow there.

Talking to farmers in different areas of Comilla, Rangpur, Bogra, Rajshahi, Satkhira, Manikganj, Mymensingh and Sylhet and Dhaka, it is known that the farmers are in extreme despair due to the fear of unseasonal rains and cold wave. It is known that they are sad, desperate and hopeful. Field-level agricultural officials are working hard to ensure that the farmers do not suffer immediate losses. The local agriculture department is providing comprehensive advice to the farmers for safe crop cultivation.

The writer is a, Agriculture and Environment Specialist, Dhaka.