Oil palm Fusarium wilt distribution and incidence in Southern Region of Ivory Coast

Fusarium wilt of oil palm is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. elaeidis (Foe) and is particularly prevalent in Africa. This work shows prospect in the industrial and village oil palm plantations in the Southern region of Ivory Coast, used to assess the incidence and distribution of this disease. The method used entailed taking an inventory of all the plants in a given plot, noting the presence or absence of symptoms of the disease and then calculating the incidence in each locality. The results showed that this is the first time Fusarium is identified in some plantations in the Southwest of Cote d’Ivoire such as plantations of Sassandra and Grand Bereby. But Fusarium wilt of oil palm was not observed in Iboke Region. The disease is still present in other localities (Divo, Dabou, Anguededou, La Me, Eloka and Ehania). The incidence of fusarium is higher in Sassandra (5.13%) than in other areas. These results should be taken into account in future palm plant replanting projects in South-west Ivory Coast, where fusarium has emerged.   Key words: Fusarium wilt, oil palm, distribution, incidence, Southern Ivory Coast.