Abstract

All of us realise only too well that the needs of our nation for a good many years to come, are going to depend very much on the amount of food and other raw materials we can grow in our country. In many ways, in spite of all our efforts, the position is justas serious as it was in the immediate post-war years. This paper will indicate briefly the heavy toll taken by the various 2 crop diseases and the niethods adopted to check or control them, that may attain the maximum yields for the crops grown in this country. Crop diseases cause in some years considerable losses to the farmers. Exact statistical data as maintained by other countres like the U. S. A. are not available in this country. Still there are some approximate estimates in regard to certain important diseases. The smut of sorghum was reported to be responsible for a loss of over one crore of rupees in the Bombay Province alone before control measures were undertaken. The loss from this disease in this State also used to be very high. The rusts of wheat reduce the yield to the tune of 10 crores of rupees. In our State the blast disease of rice is often severe in Nellore and Tanjore districts, reduc- ing the yield by 50%. In other diseases like the Mahali of arecanuts and fruit-rot of oranges the entire yield may be wiped out in some years if proper precautions are not taken. These instances illustrate the enormous losses in food material and other products caused by plant diseases.

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