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Mistletoe endangers fruit trees and spreads rapidly

2021-10-16T07:45:54.627Z


In some areas they have become a major problem: mistletoe, which draws water and nutrients from their host tree. Infested fruit trees can die. The globally growing plants are said to have healing powers - and not just since Asterix and Obelix.


In some areas they have become a major problem: mistletoe, which draws water and nutrients from their host tree.

Infested fruit trees can die.

The globally growing plants are said to have healing powers - and not just since Asterix and Obelix.

Stuttgart - The mistletoe has been spreading more and more in Baden-Württemberg for years and is endangering the existence of the fruit trees. Agriculture Minister Peter Hauk (CDU) replied to a state parliament request from the FDP parliamentary group. However, according to Hauk, the damage caused by the spread of mistletoe has not been systemically recorded. The Nabu advises that infested fruit trees are best pruned in late winter or early spring. As cultivated plants, many of these trees need regular pruning. This is especially true for apple trees.

Mistletoe is an evergreen (semi) parasite that has spread in Baden-Württemberg over the past few years, especially on apple trees that are not regularly tended to by orchards. A number of bird species contribute to the spread of germinable mistletoe seeds, even over long distances and regions. What happens: The mistletoe removes water and nutrients from the tree. As a result, the trees grow more slowly and it is not uncommon for them to die.

According to its own information, the state government does not have any statistical data on the development of the cultivation areas of orchards in the past five years. The latest survey of the stock of orchards from 2020 evaluated aerial photos from 2012 to 2015. "According to this, the number of orchards in Baden-Württemberg has declined by around 17 percent compared to ten years earlier," Hauk explained in the document.

According to Hauk, however, it is not enough to just remove the mistletoe, the entire tree must be regularly and professionally cared for.

“That is why the state relies on further training offers, advice that takes place at the municipal level mainly through the advisors for fruit and horticulture, green planning and land maintenance of the district offices or the municipalities themselves, or on incentives for fruit tree care, such as the promotion of tree pruning orchards . "

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Care is the responsibility of the owners and managers of the trees.

According to Hauk, there is currently no legal basis for the municipality to intervene in the event that mistletoe spreads in fruit trees.

This is mainly for constitutional reasons, since the encroachment on the fundamental right of property must be constitutionally justified.

Baden-Württemberg has the largest contiguous orchards in all of Europe.

Orchards provide a habitat for around 5000 animal and plant species as well as around 3000 different types of fruit.

dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-10-16

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