Recent from talks
Texas phoenix palm decline
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Texas phoenix palm decline
Texas Phoenix palm decline, or lethal bronzing, is a plant disease caused by a phytoplasma, Candidatus Phytoplasma palmae. It takes its name from the state it was first identified in and the palm genus, Phoenix, upon which it was first identified. It is currently found in parts of Florida and Texas.
The TPPD strain is classified as group 16SrIV, subgroup D (16SrIV-D) and LY:16SrIV-A.
Several palms susceptible to the phytoplasma have been documented, including: Phoenix canariensis, Phoenix dactylifera, Phoenix sylvestris, Phoenix reclinata, Sabal palmetto, and Syagrus romanzoffiana. Prior to 2006, lethal yellowing was the only other strain of phytoplasma known to attack palm trees in Florida. The introduction of this disease has left the state of Florida struggling to control the potential damage to palm trees in landscapes statewide.
It has been observed to almost exclusively attack the Canary Island palm, but is seen on other species. Since 2009, Texas Phoenix palm disease is known to severely affect the Phoenix spp. and Sabal spp. palm trees: Canary Island date palm, silver or sylvester date palm, queen palm, Sabal palm, and cabbage palm. All of these trees have been observed to have the same symptoms. The complete host range of this phytoplasma strain is not known.
If the palm tree is mature enough to produce fruit, it will experience two major symptoms. Premature drop of the majority or all of the fruit, within a short time period (about three days), is an obvious symptom. Soon after this, the flowers become necrotic. However, these symptoms can only be observed during flowering and fruiting season, and if the flowers have not been trimmed from the tree.
At any palm age, early infection will show discoloration of the foliage, starting at the tips of the oldest leaves. The leaf colors change from the normal green to different shades of reddish-brown, to dark brown. Declining palm trees are characterized by a large number of discolored leaves in the lower and mid-crown region of the tree.
When about a third of the oldest leaves become discolored, the spear leaf will die, displaying a tan, rather than green color. The spear leaf is the youngest leaf, generally seen in the center of the canopy. In obvious situations, the dead spear life can be seen hanging down or broken off of the canopy. This indicates that the apical meristem is dead and there will be no new leaf production or growth. In most cases, without close examination, the spear leaf will not be easy to find or observe if it is still alive. Occasionally, when the spear leaf dies, some palms experience root rot. This is a major symptom that differentiates TPPD from lethal yellowing, since LY does not experience root decay.
A large issue with controlling this disease is that it is difficult to diagnose. The early symptoms may appear to be the cause of 'over-trimming' of the leaves or nutrient deficiency. The progression of the symptoms is from the inside of the tree, out and are not immediate.
Hub AI
Texas phoenix palm decline AI simulator
(@Texas phoenix palm decline_simulator)
Texas phoenix palm decline
Texas Phoenix palm decline, or lethal bronzing, is a plant disease caused by a phytoplasma, Candidatus Phytoplasma palmae. It takes its name from the state it was first identified in and the palm genus, Phoenix, upon which it was first identified. It is currently found in parts of Florida and Texas.
The TPPD strain is classified as group 16SrIV, subgroup D (16SrIV-D) and LY:16SrIV-A.
Several palms susceptible to the phytoplasma have been documented, including: Phoenix canariensis, Phoenix dactylifera, Phoenix sylvestris, Phoenix reclinata, Sabal palmetto, and Syagrus romanzoffiana. Prior to 2006, lethal yellowing was the only other strain of phytoplasma known to attack palm trees in Florida. The introduction of this disease has left the state of Florida struggling to control the potential damage to palm trees in landscapes statewide.
It has been observed to almost exclusively attack the Canary Island palm, but is seen on other species. Since 2009, Texas Phoenix palm disease is known to severely affect the Phoenix spp. and Sabal spp. palm trees: Canary Island date palm, silver or sylvester date palm, queen palm, Sabal palm, and cabbage palm. All of these trees have been observed to have the same symptoms. The complete host range of this phytoplasma strain is not known.
If the palm tree is mature enough to produce fruit, it will experience two major symptoms. Premature drop of the majority or all of the fruit, within a short time period (about three days), is an obvious symptom. Soon after this, the flowers become necrotic. However, these symptoms can only be observed during flowering and fruiting season, and if the flowers have not been trimmed from the tree.
At any palm age, early infection will show discoloration of the foliage, starting at the tips of the oldest leaves. The leaf colors change from the normal green to different shades of reddish-brown, to dark brown. Declining palm trees are characterized by a large number of discolored leaves in the lower and mid-crown region of the tree.
When about a third of the oldest leaves become discolored, the spear leaf will die, displaying a tan, rather than green color. The spear leaf is the youngest leaf, generally seen in the center of the canopy. In obvious situations, the dead spear life can be seen hanging down or broken off of the canopy. This indicates that the apical meristem is dead and there will be no new leaf production or growth. In most cases, without close examination, the spear leaf will not be easy to find or observe if it is still alive. Occasionally, when the spear leaf dies, some palms experience root rot. This is a major symptom that differentiates TPPD from lethal yellowing, since LY does not experience root decay.
A large issue with controlling this disease is that it is difficult to diagnose. The early symptoms may appear to be the cause of 'over-trimming' of the leaves or nutrient deficiency. The progression of the symptoms is from the inside of the tree, out and are not immediate.