Rice being the second main food after wheat and sown on about 6.1 million acres constitutes an average of 10 per cent of the total cropped area. Its estimated 5 million per annum production accounts for 17 per cent of the total production of the foodgrain.

Though, grown in all four provinces, but Basmati and Irri-6 are mostly harvested in Punjab and Sindh, with the later sown more in Sindh than in Punjab. Till last year almost 80 per cent of the rice in Sindh was Irri-6, while Basmati covered 77 per cent of Punjab rice land.

In upper Sindh rice is cultivated mainly in Larkana, Shikarpur and Jacobabad. The waterlogging and salinity had rendered a vast area unfit for cotton cultivation on the left bank command area of Sukkur and Ghotki barrages in districts Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Naushero-Feroze and Nawabshah. Paddy is cultivated on large tracts despite restriction vide the Rice Ordinance 1959.

Water shortage and late supply in the irrigation canals of Sindh has forced the growers to undertake transplanting of paddy up to the first week of September. Irri-6 paddy transplanted in late August or up to the first week of September fails in yield because of several reasons, particularly the whitebacked plant hopper attack. Whereas, ‘Russi Basmati’ transplanted till late August gives good yield and is harvested without the borers or the WBPH attack. Against Rs190-210 per maund for Irri-6, basmati paddy fetches Rs450-500 in the local market. This tempts paddy growers to switch over from the traditional Irri (since the green revolution) to Basmati variety.

During Kharif 2002 the acreage under Basmati variety was about 150,000 acres in the upper Sindh. This year the pest-free harvest, transplanted till the end of August, encouraged the growers to opt for Basmati variety of paddy. Till the end of this July vast acreage was without any cultivation and survey revealed that all those lands were awaiting transplantation. It is most likely that almost 50 per cent area may come under Basmati paddy cultivation in districts Larkana, Shikarpur and Jacobabad.The President Rice Millers’ Association, Sindh and Balochistan, also a member of the Pakistan Rice Board, has agreed with the above percentage of expected acreage this year in the aforementioned districts of upper Sindh. However, according to him varieties being cultivated this year replacing Irri-6 comprise: Super Basmati, Russi Basmati (Pak-198), Basmati-385, and Sugdasi (Bengalo) besides, the cultivation of paddy — though illegal under the Rice Ordinance 1959, in the cotton growing districts situated on the left bank of Sukkur and Ghotki barrage — is also in full swing and likely to continue till the end of August.

As a matter of fact the recent month-long monsoon rains have also encouraged paddy cultivation in the cotton belt. Cotton crop damaged during rains, particularly in low lying waterlogged areas are being replaced with Basmati paddy cultivation. Its acreage may surpass 150,000 acres in the upper Sindh cotton belt, as per conservative estimate based on field survey.

Pests of paddy crops: In upper Sindh, the stem-borers and the WBPH are main pests of paddy. The rice-leaf-folder has been experienced sporadically mainly on Basmati variety. However, its problem attains serious proportion particularly during the period of excessive rains.

Haunting threat: Under upper Sindh climatic condition leaf-folder attack is experienced generally by late August. But this year insurgence of this menace was noted from July 30, which is a haunting threat. While inspecting paddy nursery under Basmati (Super) variety at Wari Goth in Taluka and district Khairpur in cotton belt, it was observed that about 45-day old nursery of Super Basmati paddy was infested with hundreds of leaf-folder moths (cnaphalocrosis sp). Since leaf-folder completes its life-cycle in 25-35 days it is apprehended that the current prolonged monsoon rains may help this pest assume serious proportion in the entire upper Sindh region. The larvae feeds on leaves and can damage number of leaves. As a result photosynthetisis is interfered and plants are predisposed to finagle and bacterial infections.

Control strategy: To avoid injudicious use of pesticides for leaf-folder control the pest like rice stem borers and whitebacked plant hopes (Wbph) should be made available to paddy growers by the Sindh government by using print and electronic media.

For safe and effective control of rice leaf-folder name of suitable pesticides should be made known to the growers well in time. Effective pest scouting arrangement should also be made so that the hot spots of leaf-folder insurgence could be controlled.