HYDERABAD: Three neem trees have been providing shade to a small dargah located to the side of the road in Pedda Kodur village of Chinnakodur Mandal in Siddipet district for decades. On Saturday, they looked bone-dry, brown and lifeless. People watched them as they drove by as if nothing had happened. The trees would survive, but wouldn’t be the same again.
It is the third successive year since the neem trees started getting affected due to dieback disease caused by an air-borne pathogen called Phytophthora, which has been causing the degeneration of fresh shoots and branches. A lot of research has been done and simple solutions have been found for plant management. But in the absence of a social campaign, the grand-old neem trees continue to be affected.
According to officials in the Central Biodiversity Board (CBD), no concrete decision has been taken on how to tackle the fungal infestation at a larger scale, though discussions have been taking place on the issue.
Talking to TNIE, one of the senior-most forest officials offered a simple solution to the problem- by marking the trees that have not been affected due to the disease among a group of affected trees, collecting their germplasm the next season, and then growing the plants which will then be having rich and good germplasm resistant to the pathogen causing the disease.
“There is a climate action fund, biodiversity action fund, and green fund available in all government departments. That fund could be used in Haritha Haram, where such resistant neem trees can be grown. Unfortunately, it is not happening,” the official opined, also pointing out that the neem tree is the main component of agroforestry in every state.
So far, field studies done by Jadcherla Government Degree College in 60 villages around Jadcherla and documenting 5,000 affected neem trees, has shown that 40-50 trees have died due to the disease, and all the others survived and recouped.
According to Professor B Sadasivaiah, who led the study, a simple solution is to cut down the affected leg-sized branches and apply the paste of fresh Lasonia (henna) or cow dung on the cut area. He assured that the trees would recover within 10-15 days. He also suggested watering the neem trees more when they are found to be infested. He believes that the disease doesn’t pose a serious threat to the neem trees in the long run, as the trees will naturally recover the next year, and in 4-5 years the trees will sustain.
“Though the disease was found in 2000 itself, because of high temperatures and drought, it didn’t spread to our region. During the Covid pandemic there was more rainfall, which created the environment conducive to its spread,” he observes.
However, experts are worried about the yield of neem trees coming down, which could affect the production of neem extracts, on which many companies and their products depend. The dieback disease was born in Uttarakhand in 2000 and spread to states as far as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, etc.
Disease born in uttarakhand
The dieback disease was born in Uttarakhand in 2000 and spread to states as far as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Experts are worried about the yield of neem trees coming down, which could affect the production of neem extracts.