Rubber Trees Has Been Ravaged by an Infectious Disease That Could Affect 50,000 Hectares of Plantation in Basilan, Philippines

The Philippines' Agriculture officials in Lamitan city, Basilan had already expressed concern about a disease that is causing the infection of rubber trees in the province and, if left unchecked, might threaten 50,000 hectares of rubber plantation and affect 17,000 workers.

Disease ravaged the Basilan rubber trees

(Photo : Stephen Bellocillo/ via Unsplash)

Trees in over 1,000 hectares of rubber plantations in nine towns and two cities also displayed symptoms of disease, which were previously misdiagnosed as premature wintering, as per inquirer.net.

Basilan Governor Jim Salliman agreed to sign the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council) resolution stating the entire province in a state of calamity on Monday.

Earlier, Eugenio Madayao, 57, a rubber tapper at one of the plantations here, speak up about some concerns about what he initially mistook for the early wintering of rubber trees.

What bothered the tappers was indeed the sudden drying of leaves without the usual color changes before they fell off the branches, followed by the trees' failure to leaf.

Numerous rubber tappers assumed it was premature wintering, it was actually a plant disease triggered by Pestalotiopsis microspora, a species of endophytic fungus that is capable of breaking and digesting polyurethane, as evidenced by the drying of foliage and branches of rubber trees, according to Sorhayda Aguisandra, a provincial agriculturist.

Among its symptoms are circular spots on leaves that gradually turn brown, eventually making the entire tree bald and dry.

She stated that approximately 1,570 ha of rubber trees had been destroyed in nine towns and the two cities of Lamitan and Isabela.

According to their assessment, nearly 90% of the rubber trees in the nine towns, as well as two cities, are infected, with the exception of Mohammad Ajul and Akbar, where rubber trees were just 10% to 15% infected.

Rubber plantations can be found in Basilan.

The province has over 50,000 ha of rubber plantation, with 11 major cooperatives and thousands of farmers and small plantations involved.

According to preliminary estimates, more than 17,000 rubber tappers will be affected in the province if work stops, which is unavoidable, she added.

Aguisandra cited the advice of PRRI pathologist Gail Villanueva, who made aware the province that it was already dealing with a rubber disease outbreak and that rubber tapping needed to be halted for at least three months in order to fertilize and declutter the ground.

Also Read: Dandelions Tell Us the Secrets of Natural Rubber

Trees need remission to fight fungus

Trees can be harmed by fungal diseases. Funguses can erode a tree's structural integrity, causing it to fall apart, as per M&M Treecare.

A fungus also may attack the leaves, impairing a tree's ability to produce food via photosynthesis.

Fungal spores have always been present in the vicinity of your tree. There is nothing you could do to keep your tree from coming into contact with spores.

The great news is that trees are born resistant to most fungi. The best medicine is to keep ones trees healthy in order to prevent fungal infections.

Make sure trees do have the proper amount of moisture at their roots, and the proper amount of nourishment, as well as the sunlight.

They are all essential components of maintaining your tree healthy.

Because healthy trees are rarely infected with fungi, it is perfectly normal for spores to float around them.

Related Article: HEVEA RUBBER TREE