As climate change looms, know what poses new threat to coconut trees in Kerala

With climate change taking a heavy toll on biodiversity the world over, the agriculture sector is bearing the brunt of it and is the worst affected. Farmers in Kerala have always been fighting the pest menace in all kinds of crops and face new challenges of pest infestation every year.

The cotton white fly, a pest that did not harm coconut trees in the past, is now posing a big threat to the crop in Kerala owing to factors such as climate change. There are also high chances for the pest to spread considering the rising day temperatures and low mercury levels at night, along with the heavy breeze experienced during the months, December and January.

Precautions
As white flies destroy the chlorophyll in the leaves and cause the trees to wilt, precautionary measures are necessary. The coconut trees could be protected from white flies by resorting to scientific application of pesticides and proper irrigation.

The ideal method to prevent white fly attack is, spraying a mixture of neem oil and garlic, which is an organic pesticide, on the trees. In areas where the attack by the pest is severe, this mixture could be applied to the base of the coconut fronds.

Another way to reduce the severity of the white fly invasion is spraying rice gruel with one per cent composition over the leaves.

Things to note

• Chemical fertilizers are not recommended as they could destroy beneficial insects too.
• Normal irrigation for coconut trees should continue.
• Harvest of seed coconuts could be carried out.

(Information courtesy: Kerala Agricultural University)