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Off season worries dog mango growers

Last Updated 21 November 2011, 19:21 IST

It’s just a few months since the mango season was over.

Even as mango growers make preparations for the next crop, they are already worried about the ‘kombe koraka’ (branch borer) disease, due to which pests damage the branches of the mango trees. The unseasonal flowers on the trees are withering away.

Mango is grown on 19,000 hectares in the taluk, which is the highest producer in the State, because of the favourable soil quality and weather. The area under mango cultivation, however, is constantly being expanded. The disease is spreading from the buds, to the leaves and finally to the branches. With farmers taking no steps, except sprinkling pesticides, the disease is spreading fast.

Other pests are sucking the vitals of the flowers, which wither away as a result. The recent rains have also taken a toll of the flowers. B M Mallikarjuna Babu, assistant director of the horticulture department, said farmers should mix 2 ml of Quinolphos to one litre of water, before sprinkling the mixture to the trees. He said farmers should unitedly take steps for curbing the disease.

Farmers should axe barren branches of the mango trees, so that sunlight falls on the other branches. This can ameliorate the diseases to a great extent, the official said.

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(Published 21 November 2011, 19:18 IST)

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