Tree Health Guide

Warning signs

• Leaves turn yellow and drop, starting from the top
• Branches dry out and die back from the tips
• Thin, sparse crown; tree can decline within months

Likely cause

Linked to fungal root and vascular infections (such as Fusarium and Ganoderma), made worse by waterlogging, root injury and stress.

What helps

• Early inspection to confirm the cause
• Removing dead wood and improving drainage
• Systemic fungicide and nutrition programme as advised

Prevention

• Avoid standing water around the trunk
• Do not damage roots when digging or ploughing
• Plant healthy nursery stock

Warning signs

• Gum oozing from the trunk or main branches
• Dark, discoloured bark and wood under the bark
• Sudden wilting of one branch or the whole tree

Likely cause

Associated with fungi such as Ceratocystis and Lasiodiplodia (Botryodiplodia), often spread by bark beetles and through wounds.

What helps

• Prompt inspection — early action matters
• Cleaning infected bark and protecting the wound
• Fungicide treatment and bark-beetle control as advised

Prevention

• Avoid wounding trunks; disinfect pruning tools
• Keep irrigation water away from the trunk
• Balanced nutrition to keep trees vigorous

Warning signs

• Gum oozing from cracks at the trunk base
• Bark at soil level turns brown and peels
• Yellowing canopy and weak growth

Likely cause

Water moulds (Phytophthora) favoured by wet soil and water standing against the trunk.

What helps

• Treating lesions and the root zone with a suitable fungicide
• Improving drainage and keeping water off the trunk

Prevention

• Use ring/basin irrigation away from the trunk
• Keep the graft union above soil level
• Remove soil and mulch piled against the trunk

Warning signs

• Raised, corky brown spots with a yellow halo
• Spots on leaves, twigs and fruit
• Leaf and fruit drop in severe cases

Likely cause

A bacterial disease (Xanthomonas) that spreads in rain, wind and through leaf-miner damage.

What helps

• Pruning and destroying infected twigs
• Protective copper sprays at the right times

Prevention

• Control leaf miner on new flushes
• Disinfect tools; avoid working in wet trees

Warning signs

• White, powdery coating on flowers, young leaves and shoots
• Flowers and small fruit drop

Likely cause

A fungal disease favoured by cool nights and humid conditions — especially during mango flowering.

What helps

• Systemic fungicide applied at the right flowering stage

Prevention

• Monitor trees closely at flowering
• Prune for good air circulation

Warning signs

• Mud tubes or mud sheeting on the trunk
• Saplings wilt and break at ground level
• Hollowed roots and bark eaten away near the soil

Likely cause

Subterranean termites feeding on roots and bark, often attracted by dead wood and undecomposed organic matter.

What helps

• Soil treatment with a termiticide around the root zone
• Protective trunk coating
• Termite inspection of the whole site

Prevention

• Remove dead wood and stumps nearby
• Use only well-rotted manure
• Treat planting pits before planting new trees

Warning signs

• Small white crawlers climbing the trunk in winter
• Sticky honeydew and black sooty mould on leaves
• Flowers and young fruit drop

Likely cause

Mealybug eggs hatch in the soil in winter; the young crawl up the trunk to feed on new growth.

What helps

• Fixing sticky trunk bands before crawlers climb
• Raking/hoeing soil around trees to expose eggs
• Natural or approved sprays on infested shoots

Prevention

• Install bands in early winter (around December)
• Keep the area under the tree clean

Warning signs

• Yellowing between green veins (often iron or zinc)
• Small, narrow or bunched leaves (often zinc)
• Poor fruit set or cracked fruit (often boron)
• Overall pale, slow growth (often nitrogen)

Likely cause

Pakistani soils are often alkaline and low in zinc, boron and iron, which limits what trees can absorb.

What helps

• Correcting deficiencies with micronutrients
• Balanced feeding based on the tree and soil
• Root-zone conditioning for better uptake

Prevention

• Get a soil test every few years
• Feed regularly rather than all at once

Warning signs

• Small holes in bark with sawdust-like powder
• Gum or sap oozing from holes
• Branches above the damage dry out

Likely cause

Beetle or moth larvae tunnelling inside the bark and wood, often in stressed trees.

What helps

• Inspection and cleaning of tunnels
• Targeted treatment as advised
• Protecting the trunk afterwards

Prevention

• Keep trees vigorous and well-fed
• Remove and destroy badly infested branches
• Whitewash trunks before summer