Outbreak of Rice disease reported in parts of Kaduna

 

The Kaduna State Government on Saturday expressed concern on the reported outbreak of a rice disease, known as

rice blast, in some parts of the state.
Officials of the the Kaduna Agricultural Development Project (KADP) are already expressing fear that the infection, caused by the bacteria, Magnaporthe grisea, would affect the annual projected rice yield in the state.
KADP’s Media officer, Malam Shehu Aliyu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna that the outbreak had been reported in Birnin-Gwari and Maigana farming zones of the state.
“This is where the crop is cultivated in commercial quantity and the disease is currently causing rust on rice leaves.”
Rice blast is a debilitating disease which affects all the rice-growing regions of the world, causing losses of up to 30 per cent of the global rice harvest.
The symptoms of the disease include lesions on all parts of the plant, including leaves, leaf collar, necks, panicles, pedicels and seeds.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the affected farms are located in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Chikun, Kubau and Kudan local government areas.
Others areas are Zaria, Sabon Gari, Ikara, Makarfi and Soba local government areas, all in the northern part of the state where both up-land and low-land rice are produced in commercial quantity.

Culled- NAN

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