Coconut plantations in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala face a growing threat from phytoplasma-induced root wilt disease. Together, these states produce around 82-83% of India’s coconuts. The disease has destroyed vast areas of traditional coconut farms, spreading fast due to insect vectors like whiteflies and rising extreme temperatures. Root wilt disease, first found over 150 years ago in Kerala, weakens coconut palms slowly. Infected trees lose their nuts and look distorted but remain disease carriers. Climate change and new pests have intensified its spread recently. More than 30 lakh palms are affected in these major growing regions. Farmers in areas like Pollachi suffer doubly as shade-loving crops like cocoa and nutmeg die without the coconut canopy. Research institutes developed integrated farming practices and released resistant coconut varieties. However, only a few thousand seedlings are produced yearly, and current measures have not stopped the disease. Experts say the key lies in using coconut palms that tolerate the disease naturally. A participatory approach involving farmers to select and monitor such palms could speed up breeding and control efforts. This method reduces the burden on science institutions and fits different local conditions. Authorities like the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute and the Coconut Development Board must work with agricultural universities across South India. Coordinated action, shared data, and farmer involvement are vital to fight this fast-spreading threat. Farmers may also benefit from royalty schemes under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act while helping multiply healthy seedlings. R. Ranjit Kumar, managing director of Pollachi Nutmeg Farmer Producer Company, calls for urgent, united efforts to save coconut cultivation from the phytoplasma menace.