'Tanjore wilt' found in coconut palms in Kannur

Scientists ask farmers to destroy seriously affected trees; explain ways to tackle disease

Agriculture experts have advised coconut growers in the district to manage healthy coconut palms properly so as to ward off the dreaded fungal disease of coconut known as Tanjore wilt, which has been reported in Kannur.

The lethal disease, also called basal stem rot, foot rot and Ganoderma wilt, which was first reported in the country in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu in 1952, has since been reported in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and in various places in Kerala. Now, it has been confirmed in Mayyil panchayat in Kannur by an expert group, headed by plant pathologist K.P. Mammootty, from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra-Kannur (KVK).

The team observed dead palms affected by the disease in Kuttyattur and Eachur. Farmers from Kanhirangad, Edakkom and Alappadamba also reported similar symptoms in the palms, they say. KVK has asked farmers to report to it if similar symptoms are noticed.

Symptoms

The affected palm, according to the experts, shows general wilting, yellowing, drying up and drooping of outer leaves in a characteristic skirt-like pattern around the trunk. Gradually, the infection spreads to the top and the younger leaves also become yellow, stunted and brittle, they say. Stem bleeding at the base of palm, cracks and crevices on the trunk, and peeling of bark are reported. Middle-aged palms are more seriously affected. The affected palm bears profusely just before showing the symptoms. Gradually, the produce comes down and the tree bears oblong-shaped small barren nuts.

Abnormal button shedding and rotting of inflorescence are also seen. After a year of contracting the disease, mushroom-shaped fruiting bodies of fungus can also be observed on the trunk. The disease spreads through soil. Drought, high soil temperature, less rainfall, flood, hardpan immediately below the soil surface, sandy soil and neglected palms are congenial for the development and spread of this disease, according to the scientists at the KVK.

Solutions

They advise farmers to destroy the seriously affected palms. The proper management methods include application of additional dose of lime and potash, provision of proper drainage facilities in garden, drip irrigation, inter-cropping with banana, and isolation of the affected palms from healthy ones by digging trenches of one-metre depth and half-metre breadth around 1.5 metre away from the base of the palm.