Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana said the State Government is alert regarding ‘Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus’ (SRBSDV). Agricultural scientists are monitoring the situation, and farmers are being made aware.
He informed that in organic farming and in direct seeding of rice, there has been no report of damage due to this virus. If farmers sow paddy according to the State Government’s agriculture policy and the advice of agricultural scientists, then such diseases can be largely prevented.
The Agriculture Minister was replying to a Calling Attention Motion brought by some members in the House during the ongoing Assembly Session.
Rana informed that ‘Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus’ (SRBSDV) is a viral disease that affects the paddy crop and has become a matter of concern in many rice-producing areas of India. This disease spreads through a vector called White-Backed Plant Hopper (WBPH), which sucks the sap of paddy plants and transmits the virus from infected plants to healthy ones.
He said that due to this virus, the normal growth of infected rice plants stops, making them stunted with much less height than normal. Their leaves turn dark green, the development of new buds slows down or stops completely, and the roots turn brown and remain underdeveloped, reducing the plant’s ability to absorb water and nutrients.
The Agriculture Minister said that the outbreak of this virus was first reported in Haryana during the Kharif 2022 season. In Kharif 2022, only a few cases were seen, but timely action and awareness campaigns carried out by Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (Hisar) and the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare prevented major damage. In Kharif 2023 and 2024, no outbreak was reported due to effective preventive measures and increased awareness among farmers. Before Kharif 2025, farmers were well informed, and precautions were repeated.
Nevertheless, in 2025, this disease re-emerged. The first cases were reported from Kaithal district and later from Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Jind, and Panchkula districts. Farmers in these areas complained of abnormal dwarfing of plants in their fields. Scientists from CCS HAU, Hisar and officials from the Agriculture Department conducted a detailed survey, which revealed that this disease was most prevalent in hybrid rice varieties, followed by Parmal (non-basmati) and then basmati varieties. The problem was mainly observed in fields where farmers had transplanted paddy before June 25.
The Agriculture Minister informed that to confirm this disease, CCS HAU scientists collected samples of infected plants and tested them using RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) technique. The results confirmed that the plants were infected with “Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus.”
While sharing steps for prevention, he said that CCS HAU has issued an advisory to farmers for protection against SRBSDV. In addition, a total of 235 awareness camps were organized in the affected districts, in which 5,637 farmers were informed about disease management measures. Farmers were advised to spray recommended insecticides to control the “White-Backed Plant Hopper” vector.
Rana informed the House that out of about 40 lakh acres of sown paddy crop, approximately 92,000 acres have been found affected by this virus. As per the advisory of CCS HAU, re-transplantation of paddy has been done in 656 acres in affected districts. In some districts, the infection level was relatively low, and by uprooting and destroying the infected plants, effective control was achieved. The estimated crop loss in affected fields has remained relatively low, about 5 to 10 percent.