Quang Ngai: More than 8,200 hectares of acacia trees are affected by wilt disease.

SGGPO 11/09/2023 11:22

Since the beginning of the year, acacia wilt disease has appeared in more than 8,200 hectares of planted forests in most localities of Quang Ngai province and tends to spread, causing economic losses to forest growers.

Quang Ngai province has about 225,000 hectares of planted forests, mainly acacia. This is a tree that contributes to poverty reduction in the mountainous areas of the province. However, for the past 2 years, acacia growers have been facing many difficulties due to diseases on acacia trees.

Since the beginning of 2023, acacia wilt disease has appeared in more than 8,200 hectares of planted forests in most localities, of which more than 5,500 hectares are heavily infected and tend to spread, causing heavy damage to forest growers, many people have to cut down and remove acacia trees, replacing them with other crops.

People destroy acacia trees because of disease

Acacia trees show signs of wilting leaves due to dehydration, the bark on the trunk turns brown, the wood inside is dark gray, some places the diseased area oozes brown sap or white foam, severely infected trees wither, lose leaves, and the roots turn dark gray. Prolonged signs of the disease cause the acacia tree to grow poorly and eventually die. Tests have determined that the cause of the disease is the fungus Ceratocystis sp and the fungus Fusarium sp.

When acacia trees are diseased, households are advised to destroy diseased trees, sprinkle lime powder, and clear the ground cover to prevent the spread and dissemination.

According to the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Quang Ngai province, in addition to mushrooms, acacia trees die due to improper cultivation techniques. Most households still plant at too high a density, forest owners plant at a density of about 5,000 trees/ha, even up to 8,000 trees/ha in some places, while the recommended density is only 1,500 - 2,000 trees/ha or the highest is 2,500 trees/ha.

Besides, the variety is the decisive factor in the productivity and quality of planted forests. However, in the province, acacia cuttings are mainly used, which is susceptible to diseases and has poor resistance to storms. People often focus on exploiting in a 3-5 year cycle to sell wood, leading to a very low value of planted forests, averaging only 60-80 million VND/ha.

To increase the value of planted forests, the long-term solution is still to call on businesses to invest together with forest owners to form a chain linking raw material forest planting with large timber.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/quang-ngai-hon-8200ha-keo-bi-benh-chet-heo-post713377.html