Campaign to save campus green

END OF LORANTHUS:A worker applies copper oxychloride to the end of a neem tree branch cut using a saw to protect it from Loranthus, a parasitic weed, in the Save Neem Tree campaign at Agricultural College and Research Institute in Madurai on Thursday.— Photo: R. Ashok

Teachers and students of Agricultural College in Madurai join hands to save neem trees.

The death of neem trees on the verdant campus of Agricultural College and Research Institute (ACRI) here was a cause of concern till recently. In a coordinated effort to protect the greenery at the foot of Yanaimalai hillock, the college has launched a ‘Save Neem Tree’ campaign, involving teachers, students and research scholars.

After it was found that Loranthus, a mistletoe, called ‘pulluruvi’ in Tamil, was surviving on neem trees, the campaign was launched to remove the partial stem parasitic weed using a pruner-cum-harvester got from Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Centre, Tiruchi, said K. Velayudham, Dean.

Explaining the impact of Loranthus on trees, M. Kalyanasundaram, Head, Agricultural Entomology, said that the parasite infested on neem, mango, sapota, guava and great Indian gooseberry trees. “Its seeds are sticky and tasty and birds spread them through their excreta,” he said. In the case of ACRI, which has about 5,000 neem trees, Loranthus seeds are spread by peacocks.

According to N. O. Gopal, Head, Department of Agricultural Microbiology, whose department undertook the campaign on Thursday, Loranthus grew strongly on the branches and stole minerals and water from the tree, besides blocking sunlight. The parasitic nature of Loranthus results in the death of the host tree.

Dr. Velayudham said that the campaign, being undertaken on Thursdays in turns by each department, involved cutting of the infected tree branches using a mechanical saw and application of copper oxychloride to the cut ends to prevent the spread of fungal infection. The ACRI, for the first time, has also identified seven insects as natural enemies of Loranthus. They are also used simultaneously to prevent the growth of the parasite. The common Jezebel butterfly, which lays 280 to 300 eggs, is used in the battle against Loranthus as its larvae feed on the parasite. “The use of insects provides good scope for bio-control of the parasite,” said Dr. Kalyanasundaram.

The ‘Save Neem Tree’ campaign has not only saved about 1,500 trees so far but also prevented the spread of Loranthus outside the campus. The ACRI will also help farmers in overcoming the Loranthus menace.