Experts of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University have found that the propagating materials themselves were the carriers of the root knot nematodes, which were leading to the attacks by wilt causing fungi on the guava trees of Ayakudi.

For the past few days, the guava trees in Ayakudi, Dindigul district, have been dying of nematode and wilt disease. The region is the hub of guava production in the state.

When the condition worsened dramatically, experts from TNAU’s Department of Nematology, led by Professor Dr. K. Poornima, visited the area to study. They also gave tips to the farmers on how to deal with the attack of the killer fungi. Farmers were told to use nematode-free healthy planting materials, spray bio-pesticides, and grow nematode-antagonistic plants to control the attack.