Pests and diseases destroying vast areas of Baft forests
Leaf rollers are devouring around 3,750 hectares of the mountain almond forests of Baft, threatening some plant species in the region with extinction, head of the Natural Resources Protection and Preservation Bureau said.
He also referred to Loranthus as another potential danger in the region located in southeastern Iran and said that the pest is plaguing some 175,000 hectares of the jungles covering the area, the Persian service of IRNA quoted him as saying on Tuesday.
“If immediate action is not taken most of the wild forests of the region will be destroyed soon”, the provincial official warned.
He maintained that some Rls.200 billion was required for the fight against the plant diseases.
Oblique-banded leaf roller is an occasional pest of almonds. Its larvae begin to feed on the plant by tying together a number of leaves with silk. Those feeding on developing flower buds do so before bloom and continue to consume floral parts throughout the blossom period. This is when they cause the most damage to the almond crop.
The city of Baft is surrounded by a variety of wild forests covering an area of around 350,000 hectares.