Grape growers in Bijapur district are battling grapevine diseases anthracnose and downy mildew that have struck the grape plants.
Many cultivators of grapes attribute the grape diseases to inclement weather conditions and untimely heavy rainfall in the last week of October and the second week of November.
Soon after the rainfall, many farmers had to destroy the plants because of their rotten roots. Many farmers have given up hopes of raising a good yield this season.
Babusingh Rajput, a grape grower of Jumnal village in Bijapur taluk, told The Hindu that those vineyards that survived the heavy rainfall are now threatened by anthracnose and downy mildew diseases.
“Since downy mildew is airborne disease, it spreads very quickly to vineyards and if it contained in the initial period, the entire crop is lost in a week’s time,” he added. By Pradeepkumar Kadkol, The Hindu