MANGALORE: Fruit rot disease or "kole roga", a disease that affects arecanut plantations in rainy season, has become acute in some parts in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts this year, according to sources in the All India Areca Growers' Association and South Kanara Agriculturists' Cooperative Marketing Society (SKACMS).

Monsoons

"Kole roga" affects arecanut plantations after the start of the south-west monsoon and results in the rotting and shedding of tender nuts.

The disease has spread rapidly this season owing to continuous rainfall in Dharmasthala, Vitla, Karkala, Kundapura and parts of Sullia and Puttur, sources told The Hindu on Friday.

According to Manchi Srinivasa Achar, president, All India Areca Growers' Association, the disease has hit 25 per cent of arecanut plantations in the Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.

The sources in SKMCS said the society had received reports of the disease affecting the plantations in Karkala, Kundapura and Dharmasthala regions.

Farmers had not been able to spray copper sulphate mixture on the arecanut bunches for the second time in some areas.

If the same trend continued the yield of white arecanut (also known as Mangalore chali) was likely to come down by 30 per cent this year, they said.

Price rise

Cooper sulphate mixture is considered the best solution to control the disease.

This year the price of copper sulphate had increased to Rs. 150 a kg from Rs. 75 a kg.

There was a need to find an alternative solution to control the fruit rot disease, Mr. Achar said.

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