Experts Warn of Increased Crop Disease Outbreak, Losses From Rain

Agriculture experts have warned that the rains may cause the destruction of farms in 2016 rather than help crops grow.

According to the experts, several plant diseases are more common during rainy season, which is a favorable condition for infection and plant damage.

The experts said, seedling diseases could begin after the planting of the seed and continue for several weeks. One clue is reduced emergence and other clues are seedling death, yellowing, or stunting. The problems, they said, might start when the soil is wet, although may be delayed a week or more after wet conditions occurred.

Senior Lecturer, Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maiduguri, Dan Gwary explained that seedling diseases occur as excessive rainfall and fluctuating temperature create excellent conditions for them.

Gwary said wet and flooded soils produced after heavy rains are favourable for soil borne, moisture-loving fungus and diseases.

He said they damage seedlings and even mature plants. To prevent this, he advised farmers to check fields for seedling disease, and efficacy of seed treatments.

A former dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Abiodun Adeloye, stated that normal rainfall would be good, and more would be better, but too much at the wrong time could damage or kill certain plants.

He said farmers are at risk when there is above-normal rainfall. He urged farmers not to expose their farms to floodwaters.