Red Light Increases Suppression of Downy Mildew in Basil by Chemical and Organic Products

Basil is an economically important herb in the United States and in the world. Recent epidemics of basil downy mildew, caused by Peronospora belbahrii, have significantly affected basil production in the United States. ProPhyt (potassium phosphite), Actigard (acibenzolar‐S‐methyl) and Organocide (sesame oil) were evaluated in the greenhouse in the presence or absence of red light for their effects on the severity of downy mildew and sporangial production by P. belbahrii. Red light at intensity of 12 μmol photons/m²/s significantly (P < 0.05) reduced severity of downy mildew in basil. ProPhyt‐treated basil plants had the lowest disease severity irrespective of red light exposure. Basil plants treated with Actigard and Organocide under red light had significantly lower disease severity compared to plants under dark conditions with the same fungicide treatments 14 and 13 days after inoculation (DAI) in experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Red light significantly reduced AUDPC in the treatments of Actigard and Organocide in both experiments. Basil plants treated with Actigard and Organocide under red light had significantly reduced number of P. belbahrii sporangia than those under dark conditions receiving the same fungicide treatments. This is the first report demonstrating red light in combination with Actigard and Organocide for improved management of downy mildew in greenhouse‐grown basil.     

Daytime Solar Heating Controls Downy Mildew Peronospora belbahrii in Sweet Basil

The biotrophic oomycete Peronospora belbahrii causes a devastating downy mildew disease in sweet basil. Due to the lack of resistant cultivars current control measures rely heavily on fungicides. However, resistance to fungicides and strict regulation on their deployment greatly restrict their use. Here we report on a ‘green’ method to control this disease. Growth chamber studies showed that P. belbahrii could hardly withstand exposure to high temperatures; exposure of spores, infected leaves, or infected plants to 35-45°C for 6-9 hours suppressed its survival. Therefore, daytime solar heating was employed in the field to control the downy mildew disease it causes in basil. Covering growth houses of sweet basil already infected with downy mildew with transparent infra-red-impermeable, transparent polyethylene sheets raised the daily maximal temperature during sunny hours by 11-22°C reaching 40-58°C (greenhouse effect). Such coverage, applied for a few hours during 1-3 consecutive days, had a detrimental effect on the survival of P. belbahrii: killing the pathogen and/or suppressing disease progress while enhancing growth of the host basil plants.     

Efficacy of Acibenzolar‐S‐Methyl and β‐Aminobutyric Acid for Control of Downy Mildew in Greenhouse Grown Basil and Peroxidase Activity in Response to Treatment with these Compounds

Downy mildew, caused by the oomycete pathogen Peronospora belbahrii, is a devastating foliar disease of basil in the United States and worldwide. Currently there are very few chemistries or organic choices registered to control this disease. In this study, two systemic acquired resistance (SAR) inducers, acibenzolar‐S‐methyl (ASM) and β‐aminobutyric acid (BABA), were evaluated for their in vitro effects on the pathogen, for their potential to control basil downy mildew in greenhouses, and for changes in peroxidase activity in basil plants treated with these two SAR inducers. No significant inhibition of sporangial germination was detected in water agar amended with ASM at concentrations lower than 100 mg/l or with BABA at concentrations lower than 500 mg/l. Efficacy of ASM and BABA in greenhouses varied depending on the rate, method and timing of application. The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) of disease severity was significantly reduced compared to the non‐treated control when ASM was sprayed (in all experiments) or drenched (in one out of two experiments) pre‐, or pre‐ + post‐inoculation at rates of 25–400 mg/l. Three weekly post‐inoculation sprays of ASM at the rate of 50 mg/l reduced AUDPC by 93.0 and 47.2% when started 3 and 7 days after inoculation (DAI), respectively. The AUDPC of disease severity was also significantly reduced when BABA was sprayed pre‐ + post‐inoculation at rates of 125–500 mg/l. According to the prediction using a log‐logistic function, 50% maximum disease protection was achieved at a concentration of 27.5 mg/l of ASM. Basil plants treated with these two SAR inducers and challenged with the pathogen showed significantly higher peroxidase activity than the non‐treated control at 8 DAI. Temporally, the highest activity of peroxidase was detected at 8 DAI, decreased at 15 DAI and waned further at 23 DAI.     

Systemic spread of downy mildew in basil plants and detection of the pathogen in seed and plant samples

Downy mildew on sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) occurs worldwide. Contaminated seeds are considered as the primary inoculum source. So far no strategy to control the disease is available. Hence, the use of pathogen-free seeds is the only alternative to prevent disease outbreaks. Therefore, a rapid diagnostic method for seed testing is urgently needed. The sensitivity of a specific PCR method for direct detection of the downy mildew pathogen Peronospora belbahrii on basil samples, particularly on seeds, was evaluated. The applied PCR method proved to be very sensitive for direct detection of the pathogen on seeds and plant samples. The PCR detection limit of P. belbahrii in artificially infested seeds corresponded to the DNA amount of a single spore per seed. Additionally, the systemic spread of the pathogen from naturally infected seeds was investigated. The experiments showed that outgrowing basil plants were latently infected with the downy mildew pathogen, and the infection continued within the plant. Contaminated seeds were harvested from symptomless latently infected plants. These results support the implementation of PCR-based detection in a seed certification scheme and the necessity to control the pathogen on seeds. The PCR method can also be used for evaluation of pathogen control on seeds based on detection of the pathogen in outgrowing plants.     

Effect of Elevated Atmospheric CO2 and Temperature Increases on the Severity of Basil Downy Mildew Caused by Peronospora belbahrii Under Phytotron Conditions

Three experimental trials have been carried out on the basil (Ocimum basilicum)–downy mildew (Peronospora belbahrii) pathosystem, under phytotron conditions, to evaluate the effect of simulated elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations and temperatures as well as that of their interaction. Six CO₂ and temperature combinations were tested to establish their effect on disease development. The photosynthetic efficiency (PI) and chlorophyll content index (CCI) of the basil plants were monitored throughout the trials. Average disease incidence was 43.8% under standard conditions (18–22°C and 400–450 ppm of CO₂)_, while average disease severity was 22.1%. In the same temperature regime, a doubled level of CO₂ caused a significant increase in both disease incidence and severity. When temperatures ranged between 18 and 26°C, CO₂ at 800–850 ppm increased disease incidence. At the highest temperatures tested, that is at 26–30°C, which are not favourable for downy mildew development, the increase in CO₂ had no significant effect on disease incidence. A decreasing trend of PI was observed for the PI values of the inoculated plants. This trend was particularly pronounced for high CO₂ levels at the end of the experiment. In the same way as for disease development, lower values were recorded for the inoculated plants at the end of the experiment at 18–22°C for both CO₂ concentrations and at 22–26°C for 850 ppm of CO₂. The non‐inoculated plants showed higher photosynthetic efficiency than the inoculated plants. Similar trends were also observed for the CCI, thus confirming that downy mildew incidence and severity, which in particular caused foliar damage at high CO₂ concentrations, led to a decrease in the physiological performances.     

Passive heat treatment of sweet basil crops suppresses Peronospora belbahrii downy mildew

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an annual herb crop grown in polyethylene‐covered structures in Israel. It is Israel's leading herb crop, grown in warm regions of the country. Downy mildew (caused by Peronospora belbahrii) is a severe disease in Israel and in many other crop‐growing regions worldwide. Experiments were carried out to identify potential climate‐management techniques for suppression of this disease on basil in non‐heated greenhouses. Disease severity was evaluated under commercial‐like conditions in three experiments, with 8–10 walk‐in tunnels at each location. Pathogen inoculum was introduced into all walk‐in tunnels. Regression analysis was performed between the disease values and air temperature, relative humidity (RH) and soil temperature. Downy mildew severity was negatively related to high (>25°C) air temperature, RH in the range of 65–85% and high (>21°C) soil temperature. The increase in air temperature did not result in a significant increase in leaf temperature; canopy surface median temperatures only reached 30°C. Symptomless plants from relatively warmer tunnels (peak temperatures of 45–48°C) that were transferred to conditions that promote downy mildew (22 ± 2°C, RH > 95%) became severely diseased, showing sporulation of P. belbahrii, suggesting that infection occurred but at the high temperatures symptom expression/tissue colonisation was suppressed. Pot experiments in which aerial and subterranean plant organs were differentially heated revealed that treating the roots with a high temperature (26–31°C), similar to the soil temperatures in the warmer greenhouses, while maintaining the upper plant parts at ambient temperature (20°C), suppresses canopy downy mildew. The effect lasted for 1–2 weeks after the plants were removed from the heated soil treatments and maintained under optimal conditions for pathogen development. Furthermore, oospores were found in the symptomatic leaves. Oospores are minimally affected by high temperature, and therefore the high temperature presumably did not affect pathogen survival. In conclusion, the effect of high greenhouse temperature on basil downy mildew may not result from a direct negative effect of high temperature on the pathogen but from an indirect high‐temperature effect on the host, rendering it less susceptible to pathogen development.     

Leaf Spot on Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) Caused by Stemphylium solani,a New Disease in China

During 2010–2011, a severe leaf spot disease of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) was found in Haikou City, Hainan province of China. The disease is characterized with large, irregular, brown, necrotic lesions on the margin or in the centre of leaves. A species of Stemphylium was consistently recovered from pieces of symptomatic tissues on PDA. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular identification by rDNA‐ITS gene analysis, the fungal species was identified as Stemphylium solani Weber, and its pathogenicity was confirmed by Koch's postulates. This is the first report of leaf spot on sweet potato caused by S. solani in China.     

Yield,Composition and Antioxidant Capacity of the Essential Oil of Sweet Basil and Holy Basil as Influenced by Distillation Methods

The profile and bioactivity of essential oil (EO) depends on genetic, environmental, and other factors. We hypothesized that the basil EO may be influenced by the distillation methods. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate the effect of steam distillation (SD) and hydrodistillation (HD) extraction method on the yield, composition, and bioactivity of EO of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) and holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum). In both basil species, the EO yield (content) was significantly higher from SD than from HD. There were significant differences in the compounds’ concentrations of EO obtained from SD and HD as well, however, the same compounds were identified in the EO from HD and SD. In the EO of O. basilicum, the concentration of 74% of the identified compounds were higher in SD than HD, whereas in the EO of O. tenuiflorum, the concentration of 84% of identified compounds were higher in SD than in HD. However, the concentrations of two of the major compounds of O. basilicum EO (estragole and methyl cinnamate) and a major compound of O. tenuiflorum EO (methyl eugenol) were significantly higher in HD than in SD. The type of distillation did not affect the antioxidant capacity of basil EO within the species. This study demonstrated that the type of distillation may significantly affect oil yield and composition but not the antioxidant capacity of the EO from sweet and holy basil.     

Isolation and Molecular Identification of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Causing Brown Spot Disease of Camellia oleifera in Hainan of China

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is an important pathogen that causes widespread brown spot disease on the leaves of the tea‐oil tree (Camellia oleifera) in China. This study was designed to isolate, identify and characterize this fungal pathogen, based on morphology, molecular characteristics and pathogenicity. One pathogenic fungus, named CCG4, was isolated from wild‐type Camellia oleifera of Hainan Province. Colonies were regular circular in shape with 50–60 mm diameter after 5 days of incubation at 28°C on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium, and woolly with a small amount of jacinth pigment; the colony colour changed from white to black during later stages of infection. The mycelium produced was branched and septate. Conidia were cylindrical‐truncate, oblong‐obtuse to doliform, colourless with 1–2 hyaline oil globules and 4.5–5.3 μm × 7.7–17.5 μm. The sporodochia were cushion‐shaped. The pathogen was identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides on the basis of morphological characteristics and internal transcribed spacer sequence, which showed 100% query cover and 99% similarity to the sequence Colletotrichum gloeosporioides JN887341.1 , from a pathogenic fungus known to cause brown spot disease of Camellia oleifera.     

First Report of Myrothecium roridum Causing Leaf Spot on Anthurium andraeanum in China

A new severe disease on Anthurium andraeanum Lind. was observed in the summer of 2011 in Beijing, China. The fungus was isolated from symptomatic leaves, and its pathogenicity was confirmed. Based on the morphological characteristics and molecular analysis, the pathogen was identified as Myrothecium roridum Tode ex Fr. This is the first report of M. roridum causing leaf spot on A. andraeanum in China.     

Morphology and Phylogeny of Three Pleuronema Species (Ciliophora,Scuticociliatia) from Hangzhou Bay,China, with Description of Two New Species,P. binucleatum n. sp. and P. parawiackowskii n. sp.

The morphology and phylogeny of Pleuronema binucleatum n. sp., P. parawiackowskii n. sp., and P. marinum Dujardin 1841, collected from Hangzhou Bay estuary, China, were investigated using standard methods. Pleuronema binucleatum n. sp. can be identified by possessing about 90–120 × 35–50 μm cell size in vivo, reniform body outline, two macronuclei, six to eight preoral kineties, 32–41 somatic kineties, and posterior end of the anterior fragment of membranelle 2 (M2a) hook‐like. Pleuronema parawiackowskii n. sp. is characterized by the combination of the following characters: body size about 60–90 × 20–40 μm in vivo, elliptical in outline, four to eight preoral kineties, 20–29 somatic kineties, posterior portion of the M2a slightly curved but nonhooked, and single macronucleus sausage‐like. After comparison with other populations of P. marinum, it is suggested that many misidentifications exist in previous studies. And an improved diagnosis of P. marinum was supplied: cell about 95–180 μm long, elliptical in outline; 2–4 preoral kineties and 53–70 somatic kineties; both membranelle 1 and membranelle 3 three‐rowed; posterior end of the M2a straight; single contractile vacuole characteristically positioned near mid‐body. The small subunit rRNA genes of three forms were sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the monophyly of the genus Pleuronema is still not supported.     

Size‐structured vulnerability of the colonial cyanobacterium,Microcystis aeruginosa,to grazing by zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)

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DNA metabarcoding reveals that 200‐μm‐size‐fractionated filtering is unable to discriminate between planktonic microbial and large eukaryotes

Microeukaryotic plankton (0.2–200 μm) are critical components of aquatic ecosystems and key players in global ecological processes. High‐throughput sequencing is currently revolutionizing their study on an unprecedented scale. However, it is currently unclear whether we can accurately, effectively and quantitatively depict the microeukaryotic plankton communities using traditional size‐fractionated filtering combined with molecular methods. To address this, we analysed the eukaryotic plankton communities both with, and without, prefiltering with a 200 μm pore‐size sieve –by using SSU rDNA‐based high‐throughput sequencing on 16 samples with three replicates in each sample from two subtropical reservoirs sampled from January to October in 2013. We found that ~25% reads were classified as metazoan in both size groups. The species richness, alpha and beta diversity of plankton community and relative abundance of reads in 99.2% eukaryotic OTUs showed no significant changes after prefiltering with a 200 μm pore‐size sieve. We further found that both >0.2 μm and 0.2–200 μm eukaryotic plankton communities, especially the abundant plankton subcommunities, exhibited very similar, and synchronous, spatiotemporal patterns and processes associated with almost identical environmental drivers. The lack of an effect on community structure from prefiltering suggests that environmental DNA from larger metazoa is introduced into the smaller size class. Therefore, size‐fractionated filtering with 200 μm is insufficient to discriminate between the eukaryotic plankton size groups in metabarcoding approaches. Our results also highlight the importance of sequencing depth, and strict quality filtering of reads, when designing studies to characterize microeukaryotic plankton communities.     

Bioassay‐Guided Isolation of Antifungal Compounds from Disporopsis aspersa (Hua) Engl. ex Diels against Pseudoperonospora cubensis and Phytophthora infestans

Oomycetes are one type of the most highly destructive of the diseases that cause damage to some important crop plants, such as potato late blight, cucumber downy mildew, and grape downy mildew. As main approach of the ongoing search for new botanical fungicide from plant, the secondary metabolites of D. aspersa were investigated. Through efficient bioassay‐guided isolation, two new ( 1 and 2 ) and 12 known compounds ( 3  –  14 ) were isolated, and their structures were determined via extensive NMR, HR‐ESI‐MS, and IR. They were isolated from this genus for the first time except for compounds 11 and 12 . The biological properties of 1  –  14 were evaluated against Pseudoperonospora cubensis and Phytophthora infestans. Compounds 1  –  8 showed potent antifungal activity in vitro. Additionally, compound 3 has preferable control effect on cucumber downy mildew, showing dual effect of protection and treatment in vivo.     

Change in nuclear DNA content and pollen size with polyploidisation in the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas,Convolvulaceae) complex

• Genome size evolution and its relationship with pollen grain size has been investigated in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), an economically important crop which is closely related to diploid and tetraploid species, assessing the nuclear DNA content of 22 accessions from five Ipomoea species, ten sweet potato varieties and two outgroup taxa.
• Nuclear DNA amounts were determined using flow cytometry. Pollen grains were studied using scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
• 2C DNA content of hexaploid I. batatas ranged between 3.12–3.29 pg; the mean monoploid genome size being 0.539 pg (527 Mbp), similar to the related diploid accessions. In tetraploid species I. trifida and I. tabascana, 2C DNA content was, respectively, 2.07 and 2.03 pg. In the diploid species closely related to sweet potato e.g. I. ×leucantha, I. tiliacea, I. trifida and I. triloba, 2C DNA content was 1.01–1.12 pg. However, two diploid outgroup species, I. setosa and I. purpurea, were clearly different from the other diploid species, with 2C of 1.47–1.49 pg; they also have larger chromosomes. The I. batatas genome presents 60.0% AT bases.
• DNA content and ploidy level were positively correlated within this complex. In I. batatas and the more closely related species I. trifida, the genome size and ploidy levels were correlated with pollen size. Our results allow us to propose alternative or complementary hypotheses to that currently proposed for the formation of hexaploid Ipomoea batatas.

     

Gymnodinium smaydae n. sp., a New Planktonic Phototrophic Dinoflagellate from the Coastal Waters of Western Korea: Morphology and Molecular Characterization

The marine phototrophic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium smaydae n. sp. is described from cells prepared for light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. Also, sequences of the small (SSU) and large subunits (LSU) and the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1–5.8S–ITS2) of ribosomal DNA were analyzed. This newly isolated dinoflagellate possessed nuclear chambers, nuclear fibrous connective, an apical groove running in a counterclockwise direction around the apex, and a major accessory pigment peridinin, which are four key features for the genus Gymnodinium. The epicone was conical with a round apex, while the hypocone was ellipsoid. Cells growing photosynthetically were 6.3–10.9 μm long and 5.1–10.0 μm wide, and therefore smaller than any other Gymnodinium species so far reported except Gymnodinium nanum. Cells were covered with polygonal amphiesmal vesicles arranged in 11 horizontal rows, and the vesicles were smaller than those of the other Gymnodinium species. This dinoflagellate had a sharp and elongated ventral ridge reaching half way down the hypocone, unlike other Gymnodinium species. Moreover, displacement of the cingulum was 0.4–0.6 × cell length while in other known Gymnodinium species it is less than 0.3 × cell length. In addition, the new species possessed a peduncle, permanent chloroplasts, pyrenoids, trichocysts, pusule systems, and small knobs along the apical furrow, but it lacked an eyespot, nematocysts, and body scales. The sequence of the SSU, ITS1–5.8S–ITS2, and LSU rDNA region differed by 1.5–3.8%, 6.0–17.4%, and 9.1–17.5%, respectively, from those of the most closely related species. The phylogenetic trees demonstrated that the new species belonged to the Gymnodinium clade at the base of a clade consisting of Gymnodinium acidotum, Gymnodinium dorsalisulcum, Gymnodinium eucyaneum, etc. Based on morphological and molecular data, we suggest that the taxon represents a new species, Gymnodinium smaydae n. sp.     

Molecular Phylogeny and Ontogeny of a New Ciliate Genus,Paracladotricha salina n. g., n. sp. (Ciliophora,Hypotrichia)

A hypotrichous ciliate, Paracladotricha salina n. g., n. sp., was discovered in hypersaline waters (salinity about 80‰) from Qingdao, China. Its morphology and some major ontogenetic stages were studied and the phylogenetic position was estimated using standard methods. Paracladotricha salina is characterized by a flexible, more or less slender body (size 50–120 × 20–35 μm), a gonostomatid oral apparatus, one short and two long frontoventral rows, four macronuclear nodules, almost completely reduced dorsal kineties 1–3, and a loss of several parts of the ciliature, namely, the slightly shortened ciliary row of the adoral membranelles, the paroral, and the buccal, the postoral and pretransverse ventral, the transverse, and the caudal cirri. The ontogenesis is rather simple: anlage II of both filial products and anlage III of the opisthe originate de novo, while anlagen IV and V are formed within the parental rows. This combination of features requires the establishment of a new genus, Paracladotricha, which is, according to the morphological data, closely related to Schmidingerothrix and Cladotricha. The small‐subunit rRNA gene was sequenced, indicating that P. salina is, as also demonstrated by the oral apparatus, a member of the gonostomatids. We provide a first, vague hypothesis about the phylogenetic relationships of the Gonostomatidae, Cladotrichidae, and Schmidingerotrichidae. However, since molecular data of the type species of these higher taxa are lacking, their validity and relationships remain obscure.     

Phylogeny,morphology and pathogenicity of Elsinoë ampelina,the causal agent of grapevine anthracnose in Brazil and Australia

Anthracnose caused by Elsinoë ampelina is one of the most important table grape diseases in humid regions in Brazil and Australia. The objective of this study was to characterize E. ampelina isolates from Brazil and Australia by means of phylogenetic analyses, morphological features and pathogenicity tests. Phylogenetic relationships among 35 isolates were determined based on a data set of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), histone H3 (HIS3) and elongation factor 1‐α (TEF) sequences. In phylogenetic tree analyses, using a combined ITS and TEF sequence alignment, all E. ampelina isolates were clustered together in a single well‐supported clade. In contrast to the absence of genetic variability within ITS and TEF sequences, HIS3 sequences showed 54 polymorphic sites. The haplotype network generated from HIS3 data set showed four distinct haplotypes. EA1 was the predominant haplotype including 29 isolates from both countries. High genetic variability was observed in two Brazilian isolates, haplotype EA4, which may have lost the intron region during species evolution. Colony colours differed between Brazilian and Australian isolates, but showed similar wrinkled colony texture, absence of spores, sparse‐to‐absent white aerial mycelium and slow growth (0.049–0.060 mm/day). Brazilian isolates produced conidia of 5.65 × 2.65 μm, larger than conidia from Australian isolates, which measured 5.14 × 2.30 μm. In pathogenicity tests, all nine Australian isolates inoculated were pathogenic on detached canes and potted vines of table grape.     

Coconut malformation: An emerging disease caused by Fusarium proliferatum in southern Iran

Symptoms of vegetative malformation were observed on coconut palms (Cocos nucifera L.) in the Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas and Minab, in Hormozgan province, southern Iran. The symptoms included misshapen and dwarfed leaves with shortened, thickened and tightened leaflets in wavy and zigzag form. The aim of this study was to identify the causal pathogen of coconut palm malformation and complete Koch's postulates for putative pathogen. Small pieces of surface‐disinfested malformed vegetative tissues of coconut palms were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. Fusarium isolates were permanently obtained from the symptomatic tissues. Sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1–5.8S‐ITS2) and translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF‐1α) gene were used for molecular identification of the isolates. BLAST search of the sequences showed 99%–100% identity to several Fusarium proliferatum strains in the GenBank, FUSARIUM‐ID and Fusarium MLST databases. A phylogeny inferred using individual sequence data from ITS region and TEF‐1α gene placed our isolates together with the other F. proliferatum sequences retrieved from the GenBank. Pathogenicity tests were carried out using one‐year‐old healthy coconut palm seedlings and conidial suspensions (10⁶ conidia/ml) of the F. proliferatum isolates. The first visible symptoms appeared on newly produced leaves of the inoculated seedlings during the 16th week after inoculation, wherease no disease symptoms were observed on the control plants until the end of the experiment. Reisolation from symptomatic tissues of the inoculated seedlings yielded isolates of F. proliferatum with morphological and molecular characteristics identical to those of the isolates used for inoculations. This is the first report of coconut palm malformation caused by F. proliferatum worldwide.