POSSIBLE APPROACHES AND FUTURE THRUST AREA TO DETECT INFESTATION BY CASHEW STEM AND ROOT BORER- A REVIEW

Abstract

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L., Anacardiaceae) plays a key role in the export business of India. Cashew trees were initially introduced to India at Goa, by the Portugese, who started exporting the cashews in the early 1550‘s from Brazil, the native of the cashew tree species. Today, India has emerged as one of the major producer and exporter of Cashews in the International scenario. The Cashew tree is a tropical evergreen growing with a short trunk. Cashew Apple produced by the cashew tree is oval or pear shaped and is literally the false fruit. Cashew apples are edible which turns yellow or red in colour when it ripens. The real fruit of the cashew tree is kidney shaped which matures at the end of the cashew apple. The true fruit has an outer hard shell and inner edible kernal called the cashew nut. Cashew nut is delicious, full of energy, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. It is widely used as a popular ingredient in many dishes throughout the world. Infestation of the cashew trees by various pests, which affects the tree and the fruits at different stages of growth, poses a great problem to the growers. Of these pests the major threat comes from the pest CSRB (Plocaederus ferrugineus). The CSRB consumes the bark of the stem, roots and reduces the yield of the tree initially. CSRB being a vigorous pest then causes the death of the tree, within 2-3 years of infestation causing a great loss to the farmers. Tackling this pest is a challenging task to all concerned in Cashew tree cultivation. Control measures in practice and the different feasible methods to detest the pest is analysed in thispaper.