In this video, we describe about the Coconut Stem diseases, how to control them with our methods and get benefited of it.
Hello, Farmer friends, today we will be talking about management of Coconut stem bleeding as well as Basal stem rot and how to resolve them, using the Soul of Krishi methods. If you like this video please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos and get notifications on your phone by clicking the bell icon and do share this with farmer friends. Coconut the कल्पतरु kalpataru is the lifeline of Indian foods without which one will not relish the taste. Today this kalpataru tree is suffering from very serious diseases like stem bleeding and Basal stem rot, bud rot, yellowing and many more. Of these the two diseases stem bleeding and Basal stem rot are lethal diseases which are affecting the coconut growers in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. They are soil borne and spread through spores.
These diseases are created owing to poor management and poor care of coconut trees, thus are responsible for the disease and its spread. Additionally, the soil health is very poorly managed, with little or no application of organic manures, as well as ineffective usage of inorganic fertilizers & chemicals with no care for the roots of the trees and least care for the welfare of the trees. Consequently the Coconut palms do not get enough nutrients and good conditions for growth. Therefore the trees become weak and get attacked by these diseases.
The two deadly diseases Stem rot and stem bleeding look similar. It is very difficult to find differences between these two deadly diseases. But one can identify by the location of the diseased parts. Stem bleeding can occur anywhere on the stem and mostly above 3 to 4 feet from the ground. While the stem rot does not occur above 3 to 4 feet. In stem bleeding many a times only cracks are noticed on the stem with watery or dark brownish discolorations and there is no gummy oozing. In Stem rot disease, cracks appear below 3 feet high and brownish gum ooze out of these cracks. This slowly starts rotting, thus cavities of rotten portions are formed.
In both cases, the older fronds of affected trees turn brown and hang down. Later all leaves except two to three youngest leaves remain and they appear like a broomstick. The trees show slow wilting symptoms and they do not yield nuts. They die within 2 to 3 years of attack of the disease. In stem rot, Ganoderma mushroom like structure appears at the base of stem, but by that time the tree is beyond recovery.
Several chemicals have been tried like propiconazole, hexaconazole, etc. but with very little success after it’s application.
Soul of Krishi suggests farmers to follow our method for better management of these two deadly diseases. The method concentrates on improving soil health and tree health with no use of poisonous chemicals.
We would suggest to not spray or apply any chemicals, fungicides or antibiotics to control these two diseases as you would waste money with a low success rate. We ask you to remove dead trees completely and do not plant the seedlings again in that pit, without treating the soil. We recommend digging coconut gardens during summer months to provide good drainage for water and to increase air supply to roots.
It is recommended to apply sufficient organic manures about 50 kgs to each tree. After 15 days apply 50 grams of boric acid to each tree and mix well with the soil. Apply Arka Microbial Consortium (AMC) at the rate of 50 grams per tree during the beginning of first showers in May and again in September before the end of the Monsoon season and mix well with the soil. Repeat this every year.
We would suggest root feeding of trees with liquid AMC. For this expose fresh active roots one on either side of the tree or even more. After that make a liquid AMC solution of 10ml per liter. Take 250ml of this liquid AMC in plastic bags and tie to these fresh exposed roots by inserting the roots into the bags so that the roots absorb the liquid. Then cover the exposed roots in such a way that the tied portion remains intact without damage or leakage as shown in the video. Repeat this every four to five months till trees recover. As this being organic, it is not expensive and can be easily done.
Without fail regularly grow a legume cover crop like mucuna, cow pea, sunhemp etc to allow the residues to cover the soil surface. We also recommend minimizing the ploughing and reducing soil disturbance. It is important to avoid all types of damage to the roots.
After monsoon rains are over, paint the stem with Bordeaux paste to protect any damage to the stem. During July-August apply about 100 grams of Bordeaux mixture to each tree. Also apply only recommended fertilizers not more nor less and make sure to reduce nitrogen application by 50% till trees recover.
Farmers with badly affected coconut gardens please approach us, Soul of Krishi or contact us by phone to know more about the special “Ganga-Jamuna” treatment.
If these practices are followed, stem bleeding and Basal stem rot can be effectively managed and you will get the trees back to normal with satisfactory yields. If you need any further information, please contact soulofkrishi.com or call us over the phone. Thank you for watching this video.