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| As Horticulture deptt sleeps, Root rot disease spreads across Shopian apple orchards | | | Javaid Naikoo
Srinagar, Aug 25: At a time when apple growers in South Kashmir's Shopian district have lost thousands of tress due to the spread of 'Root Rot' and 'Collar'disease in their orchards, Horticuluture scientists are yet to come up with remedial measures.
Farmers alleged that though the disease is spreading at a good pace in the apple orchards of the area, authorities are watching as mere spectators and have so far failed in all respects to come with technical knowhow for farmers to deal with this menace which is destroying their orchards over the years.
"We have complained so many times before horticulture officers and experts, but they did nothing, but only passed verbal order and instructions," said Rafiq Ahmad Sheikh, a farmer from Avend Rawalpora, a village five kilometers far from district horticulture office, Shopian. Rafiq said in his village this disease has spread in almost all orchards and farmers are waiting helplessly for miracles as their all the verbal experiments passed by horticulture department experts failed. District Horticulture Officer (DHO), Shopian, Farooq Ahmad Mirza said that the root rot and collar rot, which is the infection of the scion portion of the trunk near the graft union was spread mostly due to accumulation of water near the stem of trees and fungus carried from other infected gardens.
"The disease has spread due to less developed drainage for apple trees in the area and proper drainage channels need to be developed to restrict the further incidence of collar-rot, root-rot and other soil-borne diseases," he said. He added that the disease can also spread through soil transfer, allowing gross to grow near the stem and moisture.
"The trees which have been affected with the disease, farmers should expose their stem and roots to the sun and then use poison for the killing of fungus," he said. The farmers also said that they have collected soil samples and sent for soil testing to the horticulture department, but blamed the department for consuming more than six months for collecting the report of their soil from the department.
"We have send soil samples in March this year, but no reply has come so far from the department," said a delegation of farmers. DHO, Shopian accepted the farmers complaints, but added that the department has improved the soil testing facilities. "It takes now less time for soil testing," Mirza added.
Farooq Ahmad Khan, a farmer from Shopian accused the concerned officers and experts for the loss of Apple crop in hundreds of crores this season. "Every orchardist lost scores of trees bearing dozens of fruit boxes this season, which costs crores of rupees in the market in the whole area, due to official negligence," he said.
Mirza also said that farmers must use organic manures to reduce the diseases in the trees and in this regard department is always recommending the farmers to use more organic manures and less chemicals and other fertilizers in their orchards.
However farmers said that substandard tree oil spray, chemicals and fertilizers which are sold in the market openly is a major worry for them and despite repeated requests to the concerned officials through verbally and in presence no measures were taken by the government instead people dealing with sub-standard fertilizers and pesticides are provided licences illegally to open new business units.
Orchardists also said that government officials responsible for sampling of fertilizers and pesticides in nexus with dealers of pesticides and fertilizers are promoting sub standard pesticides and fertilizers and they are solely responsible for the prevailing destruction of apple orchards due to many diseases in their orchard. |
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