Coconut palm disease curtailed

by Lalin FERNANDOPULLE

The spread of the disease affecting coconut plantations in the South has been curtailed to a great extent by demarcating a three kilometre disease affected zone, said Director, Coconut Research (CRI) Institute, Dr. Chithranganie Jayasekera.

She said except for a few trees affected in Akuressa and Ambalangoda the spread of the disease has been controlled in the region.

"Our target is to mark 20,000 disease affected palms for removal in Galle, Matara and Hambantota districts this year and curtail the spread of the disease", she said.

Coconut plantations in the South were affected for the second time this year due to the fading of leaves caused by a sap sucking vector believed to have entered the country from Kerala.

Coconut palms shrivel and the trees wither with the spread of the disease which has severely affected the coconut plantations in the South.

The disease was first identified in Weligama in 2007.

"The CRI has commenced issuing letters to owners of coconut cultivations to uproot disease affected palms.Around 5,000 affected trees have been marked in the Galle and the Hambantota districts",Dr.Chithranganie said.

She said owners of trees will be compensated according to the age of the trees. For a tree below five years Rs. 500, 5-45 years Rs. 2,000 and above 45 years Rs.1,000 will be paid.

The lifespan of a tall coconut tree is 65 years and for a dwarf it is 45 years.

Dr. Jayasekera said that certain coconut tree owners in Unawatuna are not happy to uproot palms and have been hesitant to cooperate with the program.

An affected tree has to be uprooted within 14 days after the order has been issued.The CRI identifies affected palms based on visual symptoms on leaves collected randomly.

Dr. Jayasekera said a Polmerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test is done to confirm whether the palms are affected.The causative agent of the disease was identified in 2007 based on PCR molecular studies as Phipoplasma.

"Since then the spread of the disease was controlled by demarcating a three kilometre wide and eight kilometre long boundary from Galle via the A-13 Road to Tangalle", she said.