RAJSHAHI, July 02: The production of fruits including mango, litchi, guava and plum might be affected badly due to the impact of climate change, rise in day temperature, scanty and untimely rainfall, informed the field-level agriculture scientists in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj.
According to sources, though the Bangla month of Ashar is nearing to an end, there was scanty rainfall so far in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj and the average day temperature remained high than that of the last couples of years.
Rajshahi Meteorological Office sources said there was so far only 121 mm rainfall in nine days of June and only 8.0 mm rainfall in the first two days of the current month.
Shahidul Islam, scientific officer of Rajshahi Meteorological Office, said it was usual that there should be rainfall during the rainy season but despite accumulation of cloud in the sky daily, there was no rainfall.
The rainfall in June was extremely scanty compared to that of previous years. Even, the minimum day temperature was average 2.5 degrees Celsius higher than that of the last year during June this year.
Nasimul Gani, Principal of Premtali College under Godagari upazila, said many guava plants in his area are dying. As a result, guava farmers are now opting to other fruits or crops by clearing their fields.
He said climate change could be the main reason behind their decision.
Scientific officer of Rajshahi Regional Horticulture Research Centre Alim Uddin said plum, mango and litchi plants need a certain degree of temperature at a particular time for flowering. If the temperature fluctuates frequently, farmers do not get the desired production.
Moreover, due to untimely rainfall, the pest attack in the flowers increases. Due to rise in temperature and untimely rainfall, the flowering of Apple Kul , Thai Kul and Bau Kul has been hampered badly this year.
Sorof Uddin, scientific officer at the Regional Horticulture Research Centre, Chapainawabganj, said Kul has been emerged as a profitable cash fruit during the recent years.
Varieties of Kul including Apple Kul, Bau Kul, Thai Kul, BARI Kul-1, BARI-2, Comilla Kul, Khurma Kul, Dhaka-90 are being cultivated commercially in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and other parts of the country.
But this year, the Kul farmers incurred a huge loss due to inclement weather.
He said, the RHRC, Chapainawabganj undertook an inspection project at the jujube farms in Chapainwabganj during flowering season last year and noticed there was small number of flowers in some orchards and in some others there were no flower at all.
Untimely rainfall, advanced pruning( cutting) of branches, mismanagement in using fertiliser and using of insecticides during flowering might be the cause of mess in jujube, mango and litchi production, he apprehends.
He further said to combat such uncanny weather condition and to save their fruits from total destruction, the farmers should take advice from the RHRC scientists.
Meanwhile, RHRC sources in Rajshahi and Mango Research Centre in Chapainawabganj informed, the production of mango was also hampered badly this year due to high day temperature.
The sources informed, usually 10 to 15 degrees Celsius lowest temperature is required for the best flowering of mango from the end of November to late December but till December last year in 2018, the lowest day temperature was ranging between 18 to 20 degrees Celsius
The sources said the production of litchi was also hampered for the same reason this year.
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