'Mundusiri' disease affects areca plantations

The arecanut growers who were in distress following yellow leaf disease affecting the plantations are now worried over ‘Mundusiri’ roga affecting trees in Sullia.

The affected healthy tree stops growing and dies slowly. As the disease affects suddenly, the farmers do not have enough information on the disease.

In the past, one or two trees in the plantations were affected. However, this year, it has spread to entire plantation.

Arecanut grower Korathodi Ravi Prakash said “the disease has started spreading in the plantations of Nellur Kemraje. It has worsened in the last three years. Now the disease has spread to Betta-Korothodi region as well. More than 200 trees have been affected with the disease in my plantation alone.”

Ravi Prakash has been depending on organic farming for the last several years. His family owns eight acre plantations. A few trees had died in the past.

However, later they realised that the plantations have been affected with ‘Mundusiri’ disease. The affected tree dies within two to three months.