Newspapers / The Warren Record (Warrenton, … / July 20, 1988, edition 1 / Page 9
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nte*?"2B0 ,988 iUattEtl SeCti?nB nesaay, July 20, 1988 > Wednesday, July 20, 1988 Trees of life, coconut palms provide food, liveli hood and welcome shade. In the Caribbean and Golf of Mexico, the trees are being destroyed by an epidemic of lethal yellowing, caused by deadly mycopiasma-like organisms (MLOs) that are transmitted by planthoppers. Millions of producing coconut palms are endangered. No Relief Is Seen Millions Of Palm Trees May Topple In Epidemic What's a tropical paradise without palm trees? In a recent two-and-a-half year peiiod, majestic coconut palms that had enchanted and shaded vacationers all but disappeared from a resort island off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Popular palms also have vanished from other parts of the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Florida, Texas, and Mexico. An epidemic of lethal yellowing is infecting the trees, mainly the coconut variety known as Jamaica Tall. Widely cultivated, it is valued both for its tropical beauty and its an nual yield of millions of dollars' worth of products such as copra (dried coconut meat), coconut oil for soaps and detergents, and even coconut-shell charcoal used in air-purification systems. Island-hopping across the nor thern Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, lethal yellowing ap pears undeterred by such natural barriers as open seas and prevailing winds. On land it spreads as fast as 1.3 miles a month. The disease invaded Mexico in the early 1980s and killed more than a quarter of a million coconut palms. "It is only a matter of time before the disease affects the entire Gulf coast of Mexico, with incalculable damage to the coconut industry," plant pathologist Randolph E. McCoy writes in the current National Geographic. Mexico is the leading coconut-producing coun try in the Western Hemisphere. W> off* home oner^y tmprwrment loom of up to t600 !f( only 6% '"ternl fbyabh on vour bill Sov^up to S64ayeort^otlnmng CP&l the apf w? of mttmplinf **v<ce to your Miff heater and centro/ air conthHonrr cVfnj peo* tend f npt kmrr tofw by t/vfbnjj tht mp ofmo/or apfWwnt ? tnaff-fwak pcnah (N? ho* lougnupfor fNi savings) Lethal yellowing, first re ported in Jamaica in the late 1800s, is caused by deadly mi crobes known as mycoplasma like organisms. They are carried from tree to tree by minute in sects called planthoppers. When planthoppers feed on palm leaves, they inject the organisms into the tree's food carrying veins, much as mosquitoes inject malaria causing parasites into human victims. Lethal yellowing generally kills a tree within five months af ter symptoms appear. "First the immature coconuts begin to drop, then the flower buds wither, the leaves turn yellow, and the tree's crown falls to earth," McCoy writes. "The bar ren trunk stands like a warped telephone pole until it, too, roots and collapses." The catastrophic toll extends far beyond the coconut industry. In 1955 the disease invaded Key West, Fla. It spread north to the mainland and by the early 1970s had shown up in Miami. Within four years, morr than 90 percent of the city's coconut palms died. In 1978 lethal yellowing ap peared across the Gulf of Mexico in the lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas, ravaging or namental date palms. By 1982 it had arrived on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Meanwhile a new outbreak has occurred along Florida's west coast. Can the palms be saved'' There is no permanent cure. On plantations of tens of thousands of trees, the only workable solution, McCoy writes, is replanting with varieties resistant to lethal yellowing. Highly resistant Malayan Dwarf palms are replacing Jamaica Talis in Jamaica, Florida, and Mexico. Despite their name, Malayan Dwarfs reach heights of 50 to 60 feet. But before the epidemic runs its course, McCoy believes, millions of producing coconut palms will die. Resistant varieties are the only hope. Norlina Man Is Arrested, Drug Crackdown Continues A Norlina man has been "busted" in the town's continuing efforts to eliminate the drug problem that has plagued Norlina residents, Norlina Police Chief Charles Galantis said this week. Douglas McArthur Compton, 26, of Harris Street in Norlina, was arrested Saturday morning, following action taken by law en forcement officials based on in formation they had received. A search of the Compton residence revealed a quantity of mari juana, estimated at three to four ounces, that had "already been NEW ARRIVALS Action Jackson Raw Moving Telephone Prince of Darkness D. O. A. A Tlqer's Tale Prison HAITHCOCK ! Electronics' 138 S. Main St. Warrgnton bagged up" and was ready for sale, the police chief said. Estimates of the street value of the weed range from $1,500 to $2,000, Galantis said. Officials also confiscated $251 in cash from the premises. Compton has been charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of sale and maintain ing a dwelling for the purpose of selling and delivery of mari juana. He was released following payment of a $500 bond to await his court appearance on Aug. 9. Assisting Police Chief Galantis in the investigation were Norlina Police Ptl. H. W. Aycock, Warren County Chief Deputy Bobby D. Bolton and Warren County Depu ty R. A. Coleman. "We will continue to work on this problem and do everything we can to eradicate drugs in the town of Norlina," Chief Galantis said. Chocolate cakes look and taste richer if the greased pans are dusted with dry cocoa. EDDIE G. HAMM, JR. 257-4264 General Home Repairs Interior & Exterior Painting AH Type Root9 Repaired or Replaced Storm Window* InaMlltd Siding Applied 312 Church St., Warrenton, N.C. ? ARTHRITIS SUFFERERS ? Help Is Available For Your Arthritis Pain Telephone 257-1185 Learn To Minimize Pain. Maintain Mobility, Prevent In jury. Conserve Energy, And Become More Comfort able And Productive. Services Provided By The Warren County Health Department Include: ARTHRITIS EDUCATION & NURSING SERVICES Individual Counseling Relaxation Techniques Weight Control Support Group Self Help Course General Nutrition Exercise And Pain Management Printed Information And Literature * CALL TODAY - WE CAN HELP *
The Warren Record (Warrenton, N.C.)
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July 20, 1988, edition 1
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