Risk of turmeric crop failure due to yellow leaf and root rot disease in Hoang Mai

(Baonghean.vn) - For the past 3 years, turmeric has become a key crop in poverty reduction and economic development for people in Quynh Vinh commune, Hoang Mai town. However, at this time, turmeric growers are very worried when turmeric plants appear to have yellow leaves and root rot.

Turmeric plants in Quynh Vinh commune, Hoang Mai town have rotten roots and yellow leaves. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Ms. Vu Thi Thuy's family in village 6, Quynh Vinh commune has 3 hectares of turmeric grown in the field. In previous years, the turmeric plants grew very well, and around the 11th lunar month, they would be harvested with an average yield of 1.5 - 2 tons/sao, bringing in a large income. But for some reason, this year's turmeric season, the turmeric plants began to show a strange disease. At first, the tips of the leaves wilted, then quickly spread down the entire stem, causing the turmeric plants to wilt and the dug-up turmeric roots to rot.

Her family used fungicide to spray but it was ineffective. From a patch of turmeric with yellow leaves, within just a few weeks it had spread to half the area.

Currently, the entire Quynh Vinh commune has more than 200 hectares of turmeric, grown on alluvial soil in the fields and on the mountains. However, almost only the turmeric plants grown in the fields are infected.

At this time, many hectares of turmeric have yellow leaves, rotten roots, some households have almost lost everything. Meanwhile, according to observations, the fields are not flooded, farmers still fertilize and take care of them like previous crops.

Turmeric is a crop that brings in quite high income in Hoang Mai today.

Mr. Vu Le Hung - Chairman of Quynh Vinh Commune People's Committee said: The Commune People's Committee has coordinated with the Town Plant Protection Station to take leaf and root samples for testing. However, the exact disease on the turmeric plant has not been found yet. People have also been provided with some anti-yellow leaf medicine used for other crops to spray but have not achieved results.

If the cause of the turmeric disease is not found soon, then this year the productivity and output of turmeric in Quynh Vinh commune will certainly decrease, significantly affecting the lives of farmers.

Thanh Thuy