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"Lethal
Yellow" Disease Devastates Nevis Coconut Palm Trees
Lethal Yellowing disease has now
marched up Pinney’s beach, and is in the process of destroying the coconut palms
at Nelson’s Springs and the stretch of Pinney’s up to Mariner’s. Only a few
dwarf coconuts and trees which have been treated with Oxytetracycline,(OTC) an
antibiotic which suppresses the bacteria causing Lethal Yellowing, show signs of
resisting the onslaught.
| At a recent meeting with Minister Robelto Hector and
the head of the Nevis Agriculture Department, Dr. Kelvin Daly, the government’s
position was articulated: Properties which are part of the tourism product, such
as Four Seasons Resort and Nisbet Plantation, will be allowed to import OTC to
treat trees which are also part of a management program, so that the nuts do not
become part of the food chain.
The Nevis government will not condone treatment of
large abandoned coconut estates, because vendors harvest the nuts from these
areas and sell them to the public. They do not believe it would be possible to
control the distribution and consumption of nuts from these areas. At issue is
the question of whether the amounts of OTC which would be consumed in the nuts,
or in honey from bees taking pollen from treated palms, would eventually result
in strains of bacteria which are resistant to OTC. The US, in particular, does
not allow products to enter the country which have antibiotics in them, for fear
that these antibiotics will eventually become ineffective in treating human
disease. |
Dead coconut trees now line Pinney's Beach due to
the "Lethal Yellow" disease |
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Typical "L.Y." disease symptoms, palm fronds turn
from healthy green to sickly yellow, to dead brown and then fall off
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It was not clear from the meeting whether the government objects to
private individuals treating trees on their own property. At present, a number
of persons are offering to provide this service to homeowners. In other cases,
individuals have imported their own treatment kits. In June, representatives
from Tree Savers, a commercial operation that sells OTC and related equipment,
provided a seminar in Lethal Yellowing at Nisbet Plantation.
The Agriculture Department has begun wholesale clearing of coconut palms in the
area of Pinney’s beach along the road to the several beach restaurants. A
chipper has been brought in to turn the trees into a mulch which will be
available to the public at a very competitive cost. The mulch is apparently safe
for use, as the disease is confined to the palm fronds and efflorescence, and
does not affect the trunk of the tree.
By Marsha Meyers, President
NHCS |
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