With a population of 250, Western Ghats tree species faces fungal threat
Endemic to the Western Ghats, there are around 250 mature individual trees of this species, found in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, as last assessed in 2020. Most of them are seen in the wild in Kerala. Posing a threat to the survival of this species, the infection was found in the leaves, which will affect the productivity of the trees.
Dr Shambhu Kumar, principal scientist and head of the forest pathology department at KFRI, along with Dr Raghvendra Singh, senior assistant professor in the department of botany at Banaras Hindu University, detected an emerging leaf spot and blight disease affecting the Karanjili.
The disease-causing pathogen (phytopathogen) was identified as Corynespora cassiicola based on morpho-cultural characteristics and molecular phylogenetic evidence.
Dr Kumar stated that the fungal infection on the leaves will affect the photosynthetic capacity and its ability to produce energy, thereby adversely affecting the health of the tree. "It plays a vital ecological role in maintaining rainforest canopy structure and supporting biodiversity.
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Economically, its hardwood is valued for construction and furniture, while its oleoresin (wood oil) has traditional medicinal and industrial uses.
Due to overexploitation and habitat loss, the species already faces severe threats. The emergence of this additional biotic threat further underscores the urgent need for conservation measures to protect and restore its dwindling population," Dr Kumar said.
Dr P A Jose, a former scientist at KFRI who studied this species earlier, said this needs extreme care; otherwise, it will lead to extinction. "The main reason for the species falling into the critically endangered category is its very low natural regeneration capacity because of a non-viable embryo. Prior to the British regime, this species did not require conservation priority as there was a good number of populations.
It was harvested for the softwood industry and habitat degeneration also led to the declining population," Dr Jose said.
Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary has a good number of existing populations. It is an evergreen population species.
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