Alathur (Palakkad, Kerala): High-mast lights that brighten the nights like morning are disrupting the natural growth cycle of paddy, delaying flowering and reducing yields, agricultural experts have warned.

The lights, programmed to shine from 6 pm to 6 am, make it difficult for paddy plants to get the required balance of day and night. With sunlight in the day and artificial light at night, plants fail to rest, affecting their natural growth.

Scientists at the Pattambi Rice Research Station said continuous exposure to light forces the plants to keep photosynthesising, upsetting the balance needed for proper growth and timely flowering.

Fields unaffected by artificial lighting continue to flower normally, with the Pattambi Rice Production Centre itself showing evidence of this. Experts also said that bright lights attract more insects at night, further reducing productivity and increasing pest damage.

Two high-mast lights were installed in the past year along the Kuzhalmannam–Kalpetty–Thonikkad–Mookambika temple road, sanctioned by the local MP and MLA. Another one has also been sanctioned.

Farmers in Menod paddy fields, including K. Gopi and R. Suryaprakash, who each cultivate one acre where the light reaches, reported heavy yield losses. They said earlier they used to get 30–35 sacks of paddy. Now, as the crop fails to flower properly, many spikes remain empty, and they get only around 15 sacks. They also said most of the first-season crop remains unflowered.

“Paddy requires 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night for balanced growth. Continuous light creates stress, causes hormonal imbalances, and disrupts flowering, pollination and grain formation,” said M.V. Rashmi, Senior Agriculture Officer, State Seed Farm, Alathur.