vue - Farmers of 7 districts asked to stop wheat cultivation

The Department of Agricultural Extension has advised the farmers of 7 southwestern districts not to cultivate wheat, as these districts saw the breakout of ‘wheat blast’ disease last year. According to official estimates, the blast disease last year affected 15,000 hectares of wheat fields in Jessore, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Jhenidah, Magura, Barisal and Bhola causing up to 40% of crop damage. Caused by a fungus, wheat blast is one of the most fearsome and intractable wheat diseases first discovered in Brazil in 1985, reports UNB.