Journal of Plant Pathology (2022) 104, 167-177

Intan Nur Ainni Mohamed-Azni, Kandha Sritharan, Shui-Hing Ho, Nur Diyana Roslan, Xaviar Arulandoo and Shamala Sundram (2022)
Isolation, identification and pathogenicity of fungi associated with leaf blotches in Tenera x Tenera (TxT) variety of oil palm in Malaysia
Journal of Plant Pathology 104 (1), 167-177
Abstract: A new leaf blotch disease was observed on leaflets of Elaeis guineensis Jacq. Tenera×Tenera (T×T) in a plantation in Teluk Intan, Perak, with a disease incidence of 25.69%. The leaf disease appeared as large, irregularly shaped and fiery yellow-reddish brown lesions. Due to the peculiarity of symptoms, only observed in the Tenera variety, identification of the causal pathogen was attempted. Twenty-one fungal strains associated with necrotic leaves have been identified, belonging to 12 species, namely Pestalotiopsis microspora (5), Pseudopestalotiopsis theae (4), Neopestalotiopsis foedans (1), Oxydothis palmicola (1), Nigrospora oryzae (1), Hypoxylon investiens (1), Xylaria feejeensis (2), Colletotrichum sp. 1 (1), Colletotrichum sp. 2 (1), Fusarium sp. (1), Phyllosticta capitalensis (2) and Microsphaeropsis arundinis (1). The fungi were artificially inoculated on detached, healthy leaves of T×T and Dura×Pisifera (D×P) oil palm materials through wounding and non-wounding techniques to fulfill Koch's postulates. Leaf bioassays revealed that all strains were able to infect wounded leaves of T×T and D×P palms. Statistical analysis showed significant differences in lesions on T×T and on D×P leaves for all tested strains. Twelve pathogenic strains caused yellow to reddish brown discolouration at the centre of the lesions, i. e. Ps. theae (B1, B18 and B19), P. microspora (B2, B12, B13 and B15), N. foedans B20, the two Colletotrichum strains and X. feejeensis (B8 and B23). Xylaria feejeensis B8 that produced fiery yellow-reddish brown symptom, having the closest similarity to the symptoms in the plantation. Statistically significant differences of lesion lengths induced by P. microspora B15 indicated that the strain was capable of causing infection with some similarity to leaf blotches symptom in T×T oil palms. To our knowledge, this is the first report that X. feejeensis was associated with a leaf disease of oil palm.
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Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Pestalotiopsis microspora	Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis)	Malaysia
	Xylaria feejeensis	Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis)	Malaysia