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iconThe New Pestalotiopsis Leaf Disease Situation [   February  2020 ]

 

The New Pestalotiopsis leaf disease began in 2016 in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The disease had damaged 388,800 hectares of rubber trees in Indonesia, 122,530 hectares in Thailand, and 10,000 hectares in Malaysia. According to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), in 2019, they forecasted that the disease made the rubber output dropped 329,000 tons in Indonesia and 121,000 tons in Thailand. Thailand has reported an outbreak in September 2019 until now in 9 provinces of rubber plantations, concluding Narathiwat, Yala, Trang, Phang Nga, Pattani, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Krabi, and Satun. The disease severely affected rubber plantations by reducing productivity until there is no productivity. It caused dried bark and bough. At first, the spread of the disease might be found in plateau areas, high humidity places in the old leaves state. The areas, which raining interspersed with drought will expedite the spread as well as the severity of the disease. All of the rubber tree varieties were weak toward the Pestalotiopsis leaf disease. Furthermore, the disease can spread through the wind, raining, planting material transfer, and immature rubber trees. Moreover, one of the risk factors was the weak rubber tree caused by the lack of fertilizer. Because of the drop in rubber prices, smallholdings did not have enough money to fertilize the rubber trees. According to the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT), the disease also spread through unwanted flora or other plants (both in Monocotyledon and Dicotyledon) in rubber plantations.

Because of the escalating of the New Pestalotiopsis leaf disease, the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) held the Meeting of Experts on Pestalotiopsis Leaf Disease on 13-15 January 2020 at Diamond Plaza Hotel, Surat Thani. The meeting had reported the current situation of the disease. They agreed to exchange information to research the cause of the disease as well as effective disease control. They also suggested publicizing the information of the Pestalotiopsis leaf disease to the public to build the understandings of both infected areas and non-infected areas. Additionally, to raise appropriate price negotiation for smallholdings, it is a good opportunity to build the comprehension of rubber consumers that the disease might cause the lack of natural rubber in the future. For Thailand, the Thai government should roll out the prevention and control measures to limit the spread of the disease. In addition, they should expeditiously research to find the efficient control method as well as the rubber tree varieties which can resist the disease because the spread of the disease severely affects rubber yield which might bring serious effects to the Thailand rubber industry as well as the world rubber industry in the future.
In conclusion, the Thai Rubber Association concerned about the escalating and severity of the disease. Therefore, all related parties must have a strong collaboration to solve the problem for well-being of the smallholdings as well as the sustainable rubber industry.

Mr.Chaiyos Sincharoenkul
President
The Thai Rubber Association

Signature
Mr. Chaiyos Sincharoenkul
President

 

 
 
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