The rise of kratom consumption abroad has made many farmers, especially in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan district, switch their livelihoods to become kratom farmers. Many of them who initially worked as rubber planters have now turned to kratom farmers.
Kratom is classified as a plant that is easy to grow in the Kapuas upstream area, but several things should be of extra concern for farmers if they want to get good quality kratom. High-quality kratom, of course, starts with seeds, if cared for properly, you will find good results.
There are at least three main pests that can interfere with the growth of kratom, namely leaf-eating caterpillars, fungus that disturbs the twigs and stems, and parasites that steal important nutrients in the soil which can reduce the intake of nutrients absorbed by the kratom plant itself.
Caterpillars on kratom plants
These caterpillars can be types of leaf-eating caterpillars. In cultivating plants, there will definitely be various types of pests that attack these plants. One of the harmful pests is the leaf caterpillar. As the name implies, leafworms generally attack young leaves which are marked by the presence of wrinkles on the leaves, curled or curled leaves or have certain bite marks on the leaf surface. Did you know that leafworms not only eat and damage the leaves but can also has the potential to spread disease viruses that can make plants fall sick and even die.
The fungus that causes dry kratom twigs
Upas fungus or what is often referred to as pink disease is a disease that is found in almost all cocoa producing countries. This disease is caused by pathogenic activity of the basidiomycetes group of fungi, namely Upasia Salmonicolor in plants. This pathogen is polyphagous, which has several hosts, among others, coffee, cocoa, rubber, tea, quinine and several other perennials. This disease infection causes death (dieback) in trees, especially when it occurs in the pangal stems and causes more damage and yield losses in plants aged 2 to 6 years.
Always eat the nutrients of the kratom tree
As a type of parasitic plant, the presence of parasites often indicates a disturbance or damage to the host plants it parasites, especially if their presence in large numbers can cause the tree to die.
