In novel initiative, coconut farmers in Pollachi deploy climate sensors to explore alternative crops

The Hindu

12-07-2025

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Tamil Nadu, a cohort of coconut farmers from the Pollachi region in Coimbatore district has deployed a technology-based field monitoring system to record climatic conditions and assess crop suitability.
Their urgency is the growing threat of Root Wilt Disease affecting their crop. While not a direct intervention against the disease, the initiative is aimed at generating consistent weather data to explore alternatives to coconut cultivation, which farmers fear may not be viable in the future. Farmers from the Anamalai block, as well as the Pollachi South and North blocks, have come together to install real-time climate monitoring systems that track temperature, humidity, rainfall, and solar radiation. The systems are expected to provide location-specific data to guide cropping patterns and land-use decisions in the future.
One lakh trees removed
According to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in Coimbatore, the three blocks collectively have an estimated 75 lakh coconut trees. Of them, 10 lakh are affected by Root Wilt Disease, 3.5 lakh are severely affected, and nearly 1 lakh trees have been removed.
M. Raveendran, Director of Research, TNAU, said Root Wilt Disease has no known cure, and the only effective management strategy is the removal of infected trees to limit its spread. The disease is caused by a phytoplasma — a wall-less, bacteria-like micro-organism that lives in the phloem tissue of plants and is transmitted by vectors such as leafhoppers and whiteflies. It was present for long, but its spread has accelerated in recent years owing to changing climatic conditions that favour vector survival and transmission. Once infected, a tree suffers progressive root dysfunction, leading to reduced water and nutrient absorption, yellowing and narrowing of leaflets, stunted canopy development, and declining nut yield. If not removed, infected trees pose a threat to surrounding healthy ones through root contact and vector activity. Farmers have expressed concern that, if unchecked, the disease may make coconut cultivation unviable. M.K. Gokulakrishnan, who manages a 60-acre coconut farm in Pollachi, said, 'I've had to remove around 150 trees. If this continues, it will seriously affect livelihood. Coconut is the principal crop here, and the consequences could be severe.'
'To sustain the livelihood of farmers, alternative crops must be identified and introduced before the situation worsens,' said M.P. Vijayakumar, Vice-Chairman, Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education, and a retired IAS officer, who is also a farmer. He is spearheading the effort to ensure that Pollachi does not remain dependent only on coconut. 'The broader aim is to promote crop diversification and establish Pollachi as a zone for fruits and spices. For this, continuous tracking of temperature, humidity, sunshine, and rainfall is considered essential for assessing crop suitability across micro-climatic zones,' he added.
'Without any government support, we initiated this effort to generate field-level climate data to guide crop planning,' Mr. Vijayakumar said.
Low-cost sensors
The system, developed by Bengaluru-based Phytec, uses low-cost, solar-powered, sub-gigahertz sensors placed at one-kilometre intervals. These units record environmental parameters and transmit the data through a network to a central gateway, which uploads them on cloud servers. The network operates independently of the mobile phone network and is being piloted in farms in Kottur village.
TNAU has agreed to analyse the collected data to assess the impact of climatic conditions on crops and recommend alternatives. Mr. Raveendran said the university is supporting the initiative as farmers have played a proactive role.
The coconut-growing area in the three blocks exceeds 50,000 hectares, with distinct climatic variations. Accurate, location-specific data, he said, would help targeted interventions.
He added that protecting the existing trees is the immediate priority, given the scale of the coconut-based value chain, including coir and allied sectors. TNAU is evaluating Cococon, an injectable formulation on field trial, testing new chemical treatments to improve productivity, and supplying wilt-resistant varieties. It is also assessing the suitability of fruit and spice crops to support long-term diversification in the region.
Mr. Raveendran said 16 farmers in the Anamalai block have come forward to install the devices and added that further adoption would be supported with government intervention.