Imphal, November 05 2008: "Punshi," a local rice variety which farmers of the state threw out of their field some 10 years back because of its non-resistance to various diseases and insects strike back again in the fields of Integrated Pest Management, IPM model seed village at Khangabok in Thoubal district with a bumper harvest this year.

This locally breed high yielding variety of rice, a product of the state agriculture department was thrown out by the farmers despite its taste after an e-masse destruction of the crop after invasion by cut worm (locally known as army worm) at the fruit ripening stage more than 10 years back.

The time was when "Punshi" was vary popular and favourite of the farmers in the entire valley areas because of its taste in consumption and high yielding and grow in the entire fields in the valley areas.

The insects was so dangerous that it destroyed the whole fields in a night as recounted by a elderly farmer.

Since then, even the name of this rice variety was not heard and on the verse of extinction.

But this year, the farmers of the Khangabok area joining hand with the IPM team who are behind the setting up of model seed villages across the valley districts of the state choose to cultivate this variety of the rice with the IPM method of cultivation.

Farmers could produce approximately 32 phoupot (bag of 60 kgs) per acre of field which was much higher than their normal production per acre in the previous years.

According to the farmers of the area, the yield per acre in their fields was around 25 phoupot in the previous years.

"We never expected such a high yield," said a farmer today while expressing thanks to the IPM team led by the deputy director, Ph Rajendro and comprising of the experts of the agriculture office (Chemistry), Mantirpukhri and agricultural scientists of the Central Agricultural University, CAU, Iroishemba.

Farmers of the village have interaction with some journalists who visited their fields today while they are harvesting the rice.

"We strictly followed the guidelines given by the IPM experts who visited the fields from time to time in order to protect the paddy plants from various diseases and insects invading the plants," he further said.

The farmers also said that they are well aware of this rice variety's non-resistance to the diseases and insects but in a surprise manner when followed the guidelines of the IPM, they had not faced any difficulties during the entire period of growing the plants.

Meanwhile, deputy director, Ph Rajendro while agreeing that the variety is not a disease resistance kind said that knowing by this, experts of the IMP had started taking up precautionary measures right from the seedling stage with seed treatment techniques.

The successful harvest of this rice variety in the fields of the Khangabok is the results of seed treatment and it demonstrated that by treating the seed well before showing, the plant can protect the plants from infection by various diseases and insects effectively.

He also while pointing to the paddy crop of other variety cultivated by farmer nearby the model seed village where standing crops destroyed by insects at the fruiting stage said that even though the brown borer insects invaded and destroyed the neighbouring fields, it could not infect to the Punshi rice.

"It was not by the plants own disease resistance but due to the applications of the guidelines given by the experts from time to time by the farmers of the model seed village in Khangabok village, he said.

Mention may be made that with IPM method of farming, state agriculture department is efforting for supply quality seeds to the farmers of the state.

The method also includes producing higher yields with minimum investment.

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