Tea mosquito bug attacking neem trees of the region

 

 

 

After causing havoc in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ‘dieback’ or ‘tea mosquito bug’, a fungal disease, is now inflicting antimalarial neem trees in Maharashtra. Usually found in tea plants, this mosquito bug is breeding at the tip of the branch of neem trees. Thousands of trees have been hit badly in all over Vidarbha, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad and many other places in the State. A neem tree starts getting dry and its yield is hit once the fungus infects the tree. “It is an air-borne disease which has affected 80% of neem trees in Vidarbha. Normally, this disease is causing over those neem trees which are near a water body or in humid atmosphere,” said Shrikant Deshpande, environment expert to ‘The Hitavada’.

 

“Extended rainy season and atmospheric humidity are the main reasons behind this fungus in neem trees,” he added. Ironically, neem that has got medicinal value and provide good health to people and anmials through its twigs, leaves, flowers, bark, seeds and fruits is dying due to the rare pest first identified about two decades ago. Neem is a natural pesticide and now it has become a victim of the pest that attacks only neem trees. Experts are linking this particular disease to climate change. “This mosquito bug was first found in Karnataka 20 years back and then its appeared in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and now in Maharashtra.

 

The lifecycle of this tea mosquito bug is 25-32 days,” said Kaustav Chatterjee, Founder, Green Vigil Foundation to ‘The Hitavada’. Chatterjee said, “Mother insect lays around 50 eggs at a time in soft tissues of stem shoots during February and March by puncturing them. Out of the total eggs laid, around 60% survives and become a bug in 13-15 days and start puncturing the tissues.

 

As a result of which the leaves dries up and colour changes from green to brown.” “Most importantly, Neem tree contain Azadirachtin which is an insect repellent chemical compound. It need to be studied how this particular bug affecting Neem tree inspite of presence of Azadirachtin,” said Chatterjee. According to experts, the only ray of hope is neem trees are deciduous in nature with strong bark and deep root system. Hence they have a capacity to regenerate very fast. Thus the young neem trees can regenerate and survive in attack of ‘dieback’. It learned that spraying Profenofos and Acetamide on area infected in the month of February and March can help in saving the trees. However, a detail study and research is needed otherwise neem trees of the region will be under sever threat by tea mosquito bug.