What is Dieback Disease?

About Dieback Disease:

• The dieback disease was first reported in the country during the 1990s near Dehradun in Uttarakhand, while it was first noticed in Telangana in 2019.
• The dieback disease is mainly caused by the fungi Phomopsis azadirachtae.
• The dieback disease affects leaves, twigs and the inflorescence of neem trees of all ages and it causes almost 100% loss of fruit production in severely infected trees.
• The dieback is a fungal disease but the neem trees are sometimes hit by insect infestation and the combination of both increases its impact.
• The disease posing a threat to the neem trees has been identified as twig blight and dieback disease in Telangana, and it has reappeared in the state this year on a massive scale.
• The appearance of symptoms starts with the onset of the rainy season and becomes progressively severe in the later part of the rainy season and early winter.

 

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Q1) What are Fungi?

Fungi are a kingdom of usually multicellular eukaryotic organisms that are heterotrophs (cannot make their own food) and have important roles in nutrient cycling in an ecosystem.

Source: Dieback disease hits neem trees in Telangana again