Fungus attacks on gourd family crops hit Sindh farmers hard

HYDERABAD: Seetal Menghwar, a small grower narrated the reason of not cultivating melon, one of the precious cucurbit family crops this year, said that these crops grow in sweet soil, which we have lost some years back due to increasing salinity. Now not a single acre of sweet (fertile) land is left for this valuable crop to grow and earn enough to live easily.

Residing in a small village known after his name in union council Balochabad, Mirpurkhas district, he recalls the recent past when the farmers used to cultivate cucurbit family crops, including melon and watermelon, and said now it seems that increasing salinity, extreme heat and mysterious diseases together have made farmers reluctant to cultivate this crop.

Melon is an organic crop, which does not need chemical input and more water. That is why farmers used to cultivate these traditional crops and earn enough in seasons.

Menghwar's family owns a 20-acre piece of land, in which he cultivated sugarcane, cotton and fodder grass this year. Farmers in the area are seen reluctant to have other grain crops such as sorghum, pearl millet, maize and variety of pulses, because the land is not suitable for cucurbit family crops, he said.

Reports gathered from the area show that hardly a few farmers had cultivated melon on small pieces of lands and received reasonable rates. While many farmers in the area share experience of previous years, saying that mysterious virus destroys the plant and product and that is why they cannot take risk this time.

Farmers in Keti Bunder, a coastal region of Thatta district, have also witnessed the same problem of virus attacks on melon crop. Coastal region has been the hub of melon for long, but now farmers have faced virus attacks, which destroy the melon crop. Some of the farmers have tried to use pesticides to save the crop, but in vain.

Prof Ismail Kumbhar, a known researcher at Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam, calls the virus Fusarium wilt, which attacks the all cucurbit family crops, including melon and causes destruction. He suggests adoption of natural pest management mechanisms for crops, especially for the cucurbit family crops. Melon is a sensitive crop, which needs care to protect it through natural pest management, he said.

Cucurbit family crops include melons, watermelons, squashes, gourds, cucumbers and some others. Some of these crops, like melon and watermelon were commonly grown in the entire area of the province, including coastal and catchment of the River Indus a few years ago.

Prof Kumbhar said that the problems such as poor governance in water distribution system, effects of extreme heat wave and increasing salinity have together created uncertainty among Sindh farmers, which is losing valuable agriculture products, mostly food crops.

Farmers in many areas receive water fortnightly for the standing crops such as sugarcane and cotton, which need water on a weekly basis to maintain moisture. The extreme heat is another phenomenon, which also contributes a lot to affect the growth of plants. Farmers believe that they cannot maintain soil moisture through receiving delayed water for crops.

Researchers believe that melon wilt incurs heavy economic loss to melon crops. In fact, some control methods have been developed to save the crops, the success is limited. Thus, there is a need of integral efforts, strengthening coordination within departments, researchers and academia in the agriculture-related institutes to work together and find a solution.

Prof Kumbhar said that in many areas vegetable gardens, especially the cucurbit family plants face new emerging phenomenon, which reportedly has damaged fruits and vegetables.

He believes that some insects and viruses originally inhabited in forests and after loss of their natural habitats have come out attack on sensitive crops.

He claims to have received information about Fusarium wilt virus from Jhudo and Tando Jan Muhammad areas in Mirpurkhas district where the disease has been detected in apple guard, cucumber and melons.

Melon seems to be the only crop, which can be produced in all seasons. But its most favourite season is summer and after monsoon when people look excited to have this fruit to beat the heat effects.

These fruit and vegetable crops usually attract the market during the months of May and June. Mostly, farmers keep in mind the growing demand of these food products such as melon and watermelon that always go up during heat. Varieties of melons grown in different ecological zones have distinct tastes, sweetness, and flavour.

The prices of these specific food items are different, depending on area. Retail price of melon ranges between Rs40 to Rs60/kg, watermelon has the similar price like melon, while muskmelon is available at Rs100 to Rs120/kg.

Earlier, famers used to cultivate it in two seasons: one starts in the middle of January, which ripe in March and April and continues in May and June, while the other sowing season starts in August and product comes in the market in September and October.

Producers of melon family crops in Keti Bunder, Thatta district being residing close to Karachi market always get benefit through early and quick supply of the product. But now elderly farmers said gone were the days, when they used to be engaged in agriculture crops, mostly vegetables and most favourite cucurbit family crops.

Farmers in different parts of Sindh have realised a change around them, including rising temperature and mysterious crop diseases, which have impacted badly on their life and livelihoods.

They believe that the government officials have yet to realise this new weather disruption, and if negligence on the part of the government and researchers continue, the province may lose the valuable cucurbit family crops, which are consumed as fresh, salad and making pickles in various ways.