Planthoppers strike Nagai kuruvai paddy

HAVING rained heavily the previous night, R Jayanthi (42) of Palaiyur was prepared to see her kuruvai paddy raised on about five acres slanted when heading to the fields for inspection on an early morning last week.

- MOHAMED SALAHUDEEN B Nagapattinam

What she, however, saw gave her "quite a heartache": the paddy had wilted and yellowed, succumbing to hopper burn caused by brown planthoppers, locally known as pugaiyan.

According to a district agriculture and farmers welfare department official, 7% to 8% of the seasonal paddy cultivation undertaken on 30,217 hectares in the district has come under brown planthopper attack.

"After it rains at night, farmers should drain the water from the fields the next day. They, however, fail to do so. The damp fields and the morning heat create perfect conditions for the planthoppers to breed," the official pointed out.

The brown planthopper feeds at the base of the paddy, sucking the sap.