SANGHAR, July 4: Cotton crop in the district has been attacked by deadly virus - the cotton leaf curl (CLC) virus. Most affected varieties infected by the virus are bacillus thuringiensis (BT) cotton which is locally called Australia-Jo- Bij and Niab-78.

Other varieties CIM499, 446, 443, 473 and Niab-III are also attacked by the virus but below economic injury level. According to unofficial figures, the BT cotton crop was cultivated on some 10,000 acres in Shahdadpur, Sinjhoro and Khipro talukas where the virus was active.

Some progressive farmers had uprooted the BT cotton and planted CLC-resistant varieties and other alternate crop. The disease caused by the CLC virus is incurable but some enthusiastic farmers have resorted to indiscriminate spraying.

The only way to get rid of disease is to clip infected parts. When contacted, district agricultural officer, Atta Mohammad Deenari said that the situation was not alarming and they had advised the farmers to clip the affected parts and control the infestation of white fly - the carrier of the CLC virus.

The general secretary of the Small Growers Association, Hassan Askari and the general secretary of the Sindh Abadgar Board, Sanghar district, Yar Mohammad Leghari said that the cotton leaf curl virus was a killer.

They said that the BT cotton was heavily damaged specially in Dulhro and Bhaji Dehs. They said that a large area near the Bahram road in front of the police training college Shahdadpur was almost 50 per cent under the virus attack.

They said that though the damage was below the economic injury level in other varieties except the Niab-78 and BT cotton where considerable damage could be seen. They feared that the mismanagement or adverse climate could bring a disaster to cotton crop in Sindh.

Mr Leghari said that there was no system in Sindh to provide good quality seed. They requested the government to take proper measures and make the farmers aware about the hidden killer disease.

Last year some farmers in Shahdadpur and Sinjhoro talukas had sown BT cotton and claimed that they had a yield of more than fifty maunds per acre. After knowing this some farmers rushed to sow the same variety which is proving to be a disaster though there is a strict ban over the cultivation of BT cotton. The farmers claimed that the BT was most favourite cotton variety of ginners and it required the least spraying.