Bud Rot of Areca Palms in Mysore

IN Hirethota, a village near Thirthahalli, Mysore State, a serious disease of areca palms has been rampant for the past fifty years. Locally the disease goes by the name 'hidimundige', which literally means the thinning out or tapering of the crown, gradually dwindling in diameter. But actually the disease in no way resembles the tapering stem wilt, better known as the 'pencil point disease' of coco-nuts so well known in the West Indies. A preliminary report of the investigations carried out is presented here.