East China province warns scab epidemic in wheat

HEFEI -- The agricultural department in East China's Anhui Province has sent a warning of a wheat scab epidemic.

The department discovered that 4.7 million hectares of wheat fields in the province are prone to an outbreak of the fungal disease this year. Among them, 2 million hectares are likely to suffer losses.

Agricultural experts said that wheat scab cannot be treated. Farmers should seize the current "window period" of the plant's growth to carry out pharmaceutical prevention and control.

Wheat is the main grain crop in the agricultural province with annual output accounting for 40 percent of the province's total grain output.

The department observed that wheat scab had been expanding and aggravating over the past years in the province, affecting the wheat yield and quality.