Chittharikkal: Arecanut farmers in the hilly regions are grappling with severe distress. As the new season commences, multiple diseases are rapidly spreading through their arecanut plantations. The primary culprit is leaf spot disease, exacerbated by the presence of yellowing disease.

Even plantations diligently sprayed with preventive fungicides recommended by agricultural experts and the agriculture department have offered no reprieve from the pervasive diseases. The affliction spares neither mature arecanut palms nor young plants, impacting both extensively.

Many farmers proactively apply lime to the soil before the onset of the monsoon, a traditional measure against diseases. In addition, they utilise fertilisers and specialised preventive medications prescribed by agricultural experts. Yet, farmers lament that none of these interventions are proving effective

Lime and expert-prescribed remedies fail to yield results
The onset of leaf spot disease is characterised by faint yellow spots appearing on arecanut fronds. These spots gradually grow larger and multiply, causing the healthy green fronds to slowly turn yellow. Concurrently, the initial affected areas wither and blacken, eventually leading to the complete desiccation of the entire frond.

Crucially, this disease is not limited to the fronds. It also causes flower clusters to dry out, significantly diminishing arecanut production. Ultimately, severely infected arecanut palms can be seen wilting and dying. Agricultural scientists have identified a Colletotrichum fungal infection as the root cause of leaf spot disease. This airborne pathogen typically proliferates during the monsoon season.