The plant disease stolbur is rapidly spreading across Germany, raising alarm bells among the German Farmers’ Association. The media has already dubbed the phenomenon a “mega plague.”
Sugar beet, potato, onion, cabbage, celery, carrot, and sometimes even rhubarb and pepper plantations have been affected. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Agriculture classifies stolbur as a “serious threat” to local agriculture, especially in southern Germany.
According to estimates by the German Farmers’ Association, the damage in Baden-Württemberg alone is now estimated at millions of euros. The culprit is the cane glasswing, an insect that carries a bacterium called Candida phytoplasma solani. As a result, the crop withers, and the root vegetables and tubers become practically rubbery.
The authorities say that there are currently no signs that stolbur is harmful to humans. Affected vegetable varieties are not usually sold in stores. The disease could affect consumers if prices rise due to crop failure or if there are fewer products in supermarkets in the fall.
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