The Hindu : Business : Quality seed nuts being selected to control root-wilt disease

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 20, 2006

Business

Business

Quality seed nuts being selected to control root-wilt disease

Staff Reporter

Project gets financial aid from the Union and State governments

Mother palms should show natural resistance to disease Seeds to be collected at Krishi Bhavans Total control of the disease is not possible

KOCHI: The Agriculture Department has initiated a novel seed-nut selection process to control root-wilt disease affecting coconut palms in the State.

The scheme, being implemented through two projects with financial assistance from the Union and the State governments, incorporates selection of seed nuts from mother palms showing natural resistance to the disease. It is being implemented on a trial basis this financial year, according to Agriculture Department officials.

Collection of seeds takes place through local Krishi Bhavans. The collected nuts are stored at the Coconut Nursery at Vyttila, to be planted during the coming season. The new disease-resistant seedlings will be ready for distribution by June 2007.

The Union Government scheme for establishment of regional coconut nurseries has funds of Rs. 3.25 lakhs and the State Government-assisted scheme for `Production and distribution of quality coconut seedlings' is estimated at Rs. 1.47 lakhs. The scheme is being supported by the Coconut Development Board.

The root-wilt disease, a debilitating but non-lethal disease, affects production of coconuts over a long period of time. Palms affected by this disease are prone to other diseases, such as leaf rot, and pests, such as rhinoceros beetle.

A major cause of concern among the coconut farmers in the State, the disease is caused by mycoplasma-like organisms transmitted by insects. Total control of the disease is not possible and only integrated management approaches are recommended. Management practices such as improving the plant health, application of organic manure and following the correct recommendations for manure are helpful. Improving the disease resistance of plant progenies is an important step in managing the disease.

The selection process ensures that quality seed nuts, termed elite seed nuts, which show natural resistance to the disease, are cultivated and distributed to the farmers.

The mother palms are selected from palms showing no symptoms of the disease in plantations affected by the disease. Other criteria commonly followed for selecting the seed nuts are also observed while selecting the disease-resistant mother palms.

A total number of 23,000 seed nuts have already been collected and stored at the Vyttila nursery.

The selection process was implemented on a trial basis during 2004-05 also, but the mother palms were selected with the help of enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) test, conducted at the regional station of the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kayamkulam.

The ELISA test, popular as a diagnostic test for the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus, was found highly expensive and time consuming, according to the Agriculture Department officials. Only a certain number of tests could be done every day and the specimens collected for testing could not be kept for long.

Thus, only 700 nuts could be collected after completing all the processing. The seedlings from these nuts are now being made ready for distribution at the nursery at Vyttila.

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