"The megachuma has reached Germany": the Germans are counting the multimillion-dollar damage from the glass

The plant disease stolbur is rapidly spreading across Germany, the Association of German Farmers is sounding the alarm. In the media, the disaster has already been called a "megachuma."

Plantations with sugar beets, potatoes, onions, cabbage, celery, carrots, and sometimes even rhubarb and pepper are affected. The Ministry of Agriculture of Baden-Württemberg classifies stolbur as a "serious threat" to local agriculture, especially in southern Germany.

According to the Association of German Farmers, the damage in Baden-Württemberg alone is now estimated at millions of euros. The culprit is the reed glassworm, an insect that carries a bacterium called Candidus phytoplasma solani. As a result, the crop wilts, and root crops and tubers become almost rubbery.

The authorities clarify that at present there are no signs that stolbur can be harmful to humans. Affected varieties of vegetables, as a rule, are not sold in stores. The disease can affect consumers if prices rise due to crop failure or if there are fewer products in supermarkets in the fall.