Dieback disease hits neem trees in Telangana

• It has become a familiar sight in Telangana and also in some other southern states over the last few years that twigs and leaves of neem trees dry up.

• Neem shows antibacterial, anti-fungal, and other versatile properties, but it does not exempt the neem trees from being attacked by pests and diseases.

• The dieback disease affects leaves, twigs and the inflorescence of neem trees of all ages and it causes almost 100 per cent loss of fruit production in severely infected trees.

• The dieback disease was first reported in the country during the 1990s near Dehradun in Uttarakhand, while it was first noticed in Telangana in 2019.

• Since it was first detected three years ago, the disease had waned but resurfaced in Telangana this time around.

• The dieback disease is mainly caused by fungi Phomopsis Azadirachtae.

• The appearance of symptoms starts with the onset of the rainy season and becomes progressively severe in the later part of the rainy season and early winter.

• The dieback is a fungal disease but the neem trees are sometimes hit by insect infestation and the combination of both increases its impact.

• To control the disease, the twigs affected by the disease should be cut and a blend of fungicide and insecticide can be sprayed after their removal.

• Alternatively, a pit should be dug around an affected tree and water mixed with fungicide and an insecticide should be poured in it.

• However, the efforts to treat the affected trees should be taken up as a cluster either in a village or in a residential locality in urban areas as the fungus is airborne. Even if treatment is carried out for one tree, the fungus spores from a nearby tree can affect the treated plant again, experts said.

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