Premium
Basidiospores as sources of inoculum in the spread of Ganoderma boninense in oil palm plantations in Papua New Guinea
Author(s) -
Pilotti C. A.,
Gorea E. A.,
Bonneau L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plant pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.928
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1365-3059
pISSN - 0032-0862
DOI - 10.1111/ppa.12915
Subject(s) - biology , stem rot , ganoderma , elaeis guineensis , palm oil , botany , palm , horticulture , seedling , agroforestry , ganoderma lucidum , physics , food science , quantum mechanics
Basal and upper stem rot of oil palm is caused by the agaricomycete Ganoderma boninense . This study investigated the transmission of basal stem rot from Ganoderma ‐infected oil palm stumps to young oil palm seedlings. Low seedling mortalities (2.5%) were observed in a field trial after 24 months, but G. boninense could be detected in the rachis, bole and roots of a significant proportion of seedlings that were outwardly healthy. A high level of genetic heterogeneity amongst G. boninense isolates within the trial area was revealed. Furthermore, germinated seedlings growing in close proximity to infected palms in a mature oil palm field contained multiple isolates of G. boninense indicating that colonization of roots by basidiospores and dikaryons, arising from mating between basidiospores, is a common occurrence in oil palm plantations. The probability that basidiospores are a direct source of inoculum in addition to diseased trunk tissue is discussed as a means of explaining the observed heterogeneity in populations of G. boninense on oil palm. Such a scenario presents challenges for the long‐term management of basal stem rot.