AGARTALA, Sept 6: Spraying pesticides using drones on rubber trees has been undertaken for the first time in Tripura to combat the outbreak of fungal infection in the rubber plantation, an official said on Saturday.
Drone-spraying of fungicides was successfully carried out at the Taranagar farm of the Rubber Board in West Tripura, in response to the recent phytophthora outbreak across three major rubber-growing districts in the state, he said.
The phytophthora is a genus of plant-damaging oomycetes, whose member species cause financial loss to crops as well as environmental damage.
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It causes premature leaf fall and halts latex colligation suddenly, the official said.
“Since drones were not available locally, they had to be transported all the way from Coimbatore—over 2,400 km by road—to Agartala, reflecting the urgency and commitment behind this initiative, he said.
“The operation was made possible through the active participation of officials from the rubber production department, scientists and staff of the Rubber Board, with the support from local growers,” the Rubber Board of India said in a post on social media.
With this milestone, advanced technology has reached growers’ fields in the Northeast region, ushering in a new era of precision and efficiency in plant protection, it said.
Joint Rubber Production Commissioner N Sali told PTI, “Around 2000 hectares of rubber plantation in three districts- Gomati, Sepahijala and West Tripura were affected by the fungal infection. The spraying of fungicides through drones will be in full swing even as reports of decline in fungal infection. This will be done free of cost.”
According to him, this year’s peculiar climatic condition – continuous rain followed by high temperature and humidity – is a reason for fungal infection.
A delegation of All Tripura Krishak Sabha, headed by its secretary Pabitra Kar, had met the joint rubber production commissioner in Agartala and sought urgent steps to prevent phytophthora (fungal infection) on rubber trees on August 30.
In response, the authorities said they had already carried out field inspections of several rubber plantations and identified the disease as phytophthora (fungal infection).
Considering the seriousness of the issue, the Rubber Board had assured growers that it would engage two drones to spray fungicides to prevent the outbreak. Tripura is the country’s second-largest natural rubber producer after Kerala, with over 110,000 hectares under cultivation, producing approximately 110,000 metric tonnes annually. (PTI)
