One of our linkedin friends posted above picture of affected and damaged coconut trunk seeking remedy …
When closely studied about the symptom and condition of trunk of affected coconut , of course it is a bit difficult job to identify the real cause of this sort of malady in coconut tree …
Because it neither concur with the established symptom of pest or diseases that are generally damage or havoc the coconut grove nor the physiological / deficiency symptom …
But close study and observation of the symptom and corroboration with scientific coconut physiological process infer that such a kind of damage noticed in coconut tree trunk is due to boron deficiency coupled with drought and uncared coconut grove for many years …
The above condition of deficiency of boron micro nutrient makes the coconut tree trunk especially at the node where fronds are found attaching with main tree trunk produce fragile and loose tissue that coupled with drought simply predispose to girdling or splitting …later when irrigation is given or normal rainfall occur or deficiency of particular plant nutrients are made good , the plants recover and continue to produce healthy normal trunk …
In sever case this girdling or splitting of stem even make the tree succumb to secondary fungal infection called botryodiploidia fungus that aggravate the problem and sometime the damaged coconut tree fall down when gale or strong wind sweeps over the coconut grove …
The remedy is to manage irrigation , Application of Borax in optimal and regular interval and immediate cure is to apply kiocide fungicide and close the girdle with cement …
