Samples of affected tomato crop sent to Bengaluru to identify ‘unknown’ disease

Since early April, rabi or summer tomato growers from Maharashtra have reported that the fruit is ripening earlier than usual, which is seriously undermining its yield.

affected tomato crop, Pune zilla parishad, maharashtra agriculture department, iisc bangalore, indian express

The lockdown has also affected movement of farmers and scientists from various agricultural universities to identify the cause of disease. (Representational)

THE STATE agriculture department has sent samples of affected tomato plants to Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Horticulture Research to identify an “unknown” virus wreaking havoc in the crop. On its part, the Pune zilla parishad has sought the help of agriculture scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Narayangaon, to minimise losses to farmers.

Since early April, rabi or summer tomato growers from the state have reported that the fruit is ripening earlier than usual, which is seriously undermining its yield. For every half-ripe green tomato they harvested, around 10 early matured yellow tomatoes had to be discarded. This problem was reported from Satara, Ahmednagar and other tomato growing areas of the state.

This disease has caused great distress among farmers as the crop has not responded to any known treatment. The lockdown has also affected movement of farmers and scientists from various agricultural universities to identify the cause of disease. Suhas Diwase, while speaking to The Indian Express, said they had sent a special vehicle with samples to the Bengaluru-based institute to identify the causative organism of the present disease. “Once the reports come, we will finalise our future strategy,” he said.

Parthasarathi Biswas

Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More

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