Pest Invasion | Leaf miner plague strikes south Kashmir’s apple orchards

Shopian, June 2: The leaf miner infestation in various areas of south Kashmir has triggered a wave of distress among the apple growers.

Apple cultivators from multiple villages in Shopian and Kulgam districts told Greater Kashmir that they had spotted the disease in their apple farms.

According to the farmers, the pest forms a circular blotch on the leaves before destroying them.

“The pest has affected at least 20 percent of my farm, sprawling over 10 kanal,” said Muntazir Ahmad Bhat, an apple cultivator from Shopian’s Chitragam village.

According to Bhat, the most affected villages in the area included Zainpora Chitragam, Hydergund, and Reban.

He said that the pest had also affected the orchards in neighbouring Kulgam district.

Chief Horticulture Officer, Shopian, Muhammad Ramzan War said that leaf miner had been found in Zainpora, Imam Sahib and parts of Keegam block of Shopian district.

Nisar Ahmad, a farmer from Kulgam, told Greater Kashmir that the pest had enveloped the orchards located along the Shopian-Kulgam border.

“The pest has been attacking our orchards over the last few years and taking a heavy toll on crops,” said Ahmad.

The novel pest was first reported from the Zainapora area in 2021 from where it spread to other areas in the adjoining districts.

The farmers believe that the imported rootstock that was not properly quarantined spread the disease.

According to them, the pest was first discovered in the orchards located near the Advanced Centre for Horticulture Development (ACHD) in Zaipora, Shopian.

Talking to Greater Kashmir, President Fruit Mandi Shopian, Muhammad Amin Peer said that the disease had caused immense concern among the apple cultivators in the area.

He appealed to the authorities to initiate immediate measures to check the disease.

“Due to the recurrence of the pest, farmers every year have to spend extra money on additional sprays to struggle to bring the diseases under control,” he said.