| Author(s) | *Y.Y. Molan, **R.S. Al-Obeed, **M.M. Harhash, and *S. El-Husseini, |
| Affiliation | *Plant protection- **Plant production- College of Agriculture-King Saud University P.O. Box 2460 Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia |
| Title | Decline of Date Palm Offshoots Infected with Chalara paradoxa in Riyadh Region |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Agricultural Sciences. Volume 16, No 1. (2004/1424) |
| Abstract | The objective of this study was to investigate the decline of new transplanted date- palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) offshoots in new orchards. Samples of diseased rachis, and fronds were collected from three to five years old date- palm offshoots in an orchard in Horameila area. Symptoms on the date- palm offshoots included dry bone of outer leaves with crack and break of blade apart from fiber tissues with developed fungal black spores on the infected tissues. The sampled date- palm offshoots were the following clultivars: Naboot saif, Barhi, Nabtat Ally, Sagie, Meanifi, Roshody, Maigfizi and Rothan. A fungus was isolated from the symptomatic tissues of the collected samples on Potato Dextrose Agar medium plates, which were incubated at room-temperature. Slides prepared from the isolated fungus were examined under the light microscope and the fungus was identified as Chalara paradoxa. Pathogenicity of the fungus was tested in fronds of date palm- offshoots of some of the pervious cultivars. Disease severity index was determined using a scale ranged from (0-5). Results of the pathogenicity test indicated significant susceptibility differences among the tested cultivars to C. paradoxa, the cause of black scorch in date palm trees. |
