Off-season rain makes delta farmers jittery

Anymore wet spell can spell doom for samba paddy: experts

May 17, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:51 am IST - TIRUVARUR:

Mary's Corner bridge that was flooded following heavy rain in Thanjavur on Saturday morning.— PHOTO: R.M. RAJARATHINAM

Mary's Corner bridge that was flooded following heavy rain in Thanjavur on Saturday morning.— PHOTO: R.M. RAJARATHINAM

Standing crops from summer paddy to rainfed gingelly in Tiruvarur district could face danger if the rain continues over the next couple of days. While cotton crop is already under threat, any more downpour could spell doom for summer paddy yield.

Although cotton was raised on nearly 5,000 hectares of land in Tiruvarur district during the current season, the crop is at various stages of growth on 3,400 hectares spread over Valangaiman block where cotton was raised on 2,000 hectares and in Koradachery block where it was cultivated on 1,000 hectares.

As for summer paddy raised so far on 20,000 hectares of land in the district, mostly the 80-90 day-old crop is in the vital ear head stage. The crop might have withstood the downpours so far but not any further, farmers and agricultural experts here fear.

The maximum coverage is in Nidamangalam block (9,000 hectares) followed by Mannargudi (4,000 hectares), Valangaiman (2,500 hectares), Kottur (900 hectares), Kodavasal (800 hectares), and Koradachery block where samba paddy is raised on 450 hectares of land.

Farmers take up kuruvai crop only after the summer paddy is harvested in the estimated 24,000 hectares of land.

Rain threatens pulses on over 3,000 hectares of land spread across the district as the black gram crop that form the bulk of the are covered in Mannargudi, Nidamangalam, and Kottur would suffer significantly lower yield or even a wash out in case of prolonged wettings.

Crucial stage

The Chitrai pattam crop is 25 to 30 days old and is in the vegetative stage and farmers pray that for once the rains would go away for now. Also if there is any downpour at the flowering stage around 30 to 35 days, then there is definite danger. Farmers have mostly given up hopes on salvaging their Gingelly crop on over 500 hectares of land.

Weathermen have posited scattered and moderate rainfall all over Tiruvarur district over the next couple of days. Even on Saturday, there was rain at some places across the district and dark clouds loomed over the region throughout the day.

The chief amount of rainfall (in mm) recorded in major centres in the 24 hours ending 8-30 a.m. on Saturday include Tiruthuraipoondi 92.6, Muthupet 41.2, Kodavasal 33.6, Nannilam 14.2, Tiruvarur 8.20, and Pandavaiyaru Head 6.60 mm.

Cotton and gingelly crops are already under threat

Summer paddy crop is in vital ear head stage

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