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

SGGPO November 9, 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 diseased trees wither all over, lose leaves, the roots turn dark gray. Prolonged signs of the disease cause the acacia tree to grow poorly and dry up and die. Tests have determined the cause of the disease to be the fungus Ceratocystis sp and Fusarium sp.

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

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, the main use is acacia cuttings, which are susceptible to diseases and have 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