INTRODUCTION
Papaya dieback disease is a very serious disease for papaya plants. It could destroy the papaya plant and lose the production of papayas up to 100%. This disease is a threat to the Malaysia’s papaya plantation industry. It has been a proclaimed as a danger disease under 1976 plant quarantine act.

DISEASE INFORMATION

Disease name : papaya dieback disease
Patogen causes : Bacteria, Erwinia papaya
parts effected : leaf, frond, shoot, bar and fruit
ways to control : soil, water and no ways to control the papaya that has been infected by this disease unless the farmer practices good agriculture habit as the best way to prevent it.

SIGNS OF DISEASE
Papaya dieback disease attacks the entire parts of papaya plants including shoot, leaf, frond, bar and also the fruit. We can see clear signs on parts of the plants that have been infected by this disease.

Shoot
There is a sign of water-soaked and necrotic darkness on the part between shoot and frond. Gradually shoot will decay and lay down.

Leaf
There is water-soaked sign at the sides and at the end of the leaf. Leaf line and all along the leaf line will turn to necrotic darkness.

Frond
There is a sign of water-soaked and also necrotic darkness at the end of the frond. The leaf will finally lay down.

Bar
There is a sign of water-soaked at the infected papaya plants.

Fruit
There are black spots at the fruit skin and the meat of fruit becomes water-soaked.

 

WAYS TO DESTROY THE INFECTED PAPAYA PLANTS

Small papaya farm and papaya plants around the house

cut the infected papaya plant at the farm.


Pull out its root


assemble the infected papaya plants


Pour the soil oil


burn those infected papaya plants


or dig a hole and fill it with the infected plants and bury them.

 

Big papaya farm

dig out the infected papaya plant.


make a hole


throw the plants into the hole


pilling up hole

DISEASE AND SPREAD UP PREVENTION AT THE PAPAYA FARM

clean the equipments with bacteria detergent after using them


make sure the baskets have been cleaned using water before taking them to a farm to fill the fruits


put the disinfection foot bath at the entrance of a farm




clean up the sole and vehicle track / prevent bacteria before entering the farm




prepare the cleaning area that has been filled with bacteria detergent substance at the entrance of a farm.


put the prohibited zone notice at the entrance of a farm .


put no entry notice at the papaya farm
 

DO YOU KNOW?

• According to section 15, 1976 plant quarantine act,farmer must destroy the papaya plants immediately if the plants have been infected with papaya dieback disease.
• The purpose is to avoid this disease from spreading up and becomes a threat to papaya fruit industry in this country.
• According to section 18, 1976 plant aquarantine act, a farmer who refuses to destroy infected papaya by disease dieback can be charged by the court and also will be fined around rm10,000.00.