56 



they come to rest they germinate quickly by putting out a thread 

 which can reproduce the whole fungus. 



Dissemination may be brought about in several ways. Wither- 

 ing of the head may expose the inner sheaths where most of the 

 spores are produced, or some of the latter may occasionally form 

 on the outer layer especially on the secondary spots which develop 

 from diseased patches in the inside ; in either case they would be 

 carried about by the wind. Once the wet rot which invariably 

 follows has appeared, this mode of spread is not likely to occur, 

 though there is a second spore form sometimes produced, which 

 may be capable of surviving the general putrefaction. This 

 second spore is a sexually produced " oospore" with thick walls 

 and germinating in a different manner to the ordinary sporangia. 

 It belongs to a class of spore forms whose chief function seems to 

 be to carry on the life of the fungus plant through periods of 

 hardship : for while the ordinary sporangia can only germinate 

 within a few days from their time of formation, the oospores can 

 ofter remain capable of germination for many months. It is 

 quite possible that when the whole head has rotted away, these 

 spores get blown about and germinate on a new palm. Insects 

 also may assist in the spread, should they gain access to the 

 sporebearing mycelium on the surface of the spots. Infection 

 might also be carried by the knives of the toddy drawers, since 

 each tree is climbed every year either to draw toddy or to cut the 

 leaves. But whatever the usual mode of conveyance, it is 

 evidently slow, and this is probably due to the fact that spore 

 formation occurs usually between the inner layers of the bud, 

 where they are not exposed to wind or any other of the usual 

 modes of dissemination. 



Nothing but the most energetic action is likely to avail in 

 checking a disease of this kind. No remedial measures intended 

 to cure trees already attacked are possible. The disease is 

 invariably fatal, and only drastic measures directed to removing 

 the source of infection can be relied on as being of the least use. 

 In view of the fact that the area affected is small and that, so 

 far, the disease is not known to exist outside the Godavari Delta, 

 a vigorous effort is required to stamp it out before it has got 

 beyond control. 



The disease may be fought in two ways. The formation of 

 spores may be checked by cutting off the bud from the stem as 

 soon as the first leaf turns white. This entails little real loss 

 except the cost of labour, for the palm is doomed once the early 

 symptoms appear, and the flow of toddy on which the chief value 

 of the tree depends is likely to be small during the remainder of its 

 life. At the same time infection of healthy trees can be guarded 

 against by brushing or spraying the outside of the bud below the 

 expanded leaves with a fungicide. 



The following suggestions are made for an organised campaign 

 against the disease. A special staff is required, for it is certain 

 that, at first at least, the villagers will be slow to take measures 

 for their own protection. If, however, the results bear out the 



