Effect of agro-techniques on the root (wilt) disease of coconut
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2007-02-08
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The various agro-techniques including planting techniques, nutritional and irrigation requirements of young and adult palms, inter and mixed cropping in coconut garden, crop - livestock - fisheries integration techniques etc. under the geo-pedo environments of Central and South Kerala for containing the root (wilt) disease of coconut are discussed. The root (wilt) disease of coconut, noticed first in 1882 in Central Kerala, has now spread upto Trichur district in the north and Trivandrum district in the South. The disease has also been recently noticed in two villages of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. Palms of all ages are affected. The disease spreads at 1-4 km per year and has now affected about 12 million palms in 250,000 ha extending to nearly one third of the total coconut area of Kerala. The economic loss due to the disease is Rs. 300 million annually. The research on the disease was started as early as in 1937 and intensified in 1948. The etiology of the disease has not yet been clearly understood. And therefore no specific control measures could be advocated. However, the results of research carried out so far by the CPCRI at its Regional Station, Kayangulam and elsewhere showed that a package of agro-technology could be drawn out for mitigating and/or arresting the disease. These are enumerated in this article. The climate of the region is of humid tropical with an annual rainfall of 2284 mm received in 120 rainy days. The soil types are loamy sand/sandy loam and poor in N,K, Ca, Mg and micronutrients. The management practices adopted for the main crop of coconut and the subsidiary crops grown in the coconut gardens are given in Table I.
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In: Proceedings, PLACROSYM II, UPASI, Ootacamund, 26-29 Jun. 1979. Edited by C. S. Venkataram and others 1980 p-372-379