Detection and diagnosis of African lethal yellowing-like diseases

Abstract

Coconut lethal decline diseases, caused by phytoplasmas, are the most important threat to world coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) production (Harries, 1978). These diseases are endemic in several countries of the western Caribbean and Central America, where they are collectively known as lethal yellowing (LY) diseases (Howard and Barrant, 1989; Harrison et al., 1992; Ashburner et al., 1996). Similar lethal decline diseases (using various local names) have also been reported from the West African countries of Ghana (Dabek et al., 1976; Johnson and Harries, 1976), Cameroon (Dollet et al., 1977), Togo (Steiner, 1976) and Nigeria (Ekpo and Ojomo, 1990), and from the East African countries of Tanzania (Schuiling and Mpunami, 1990; Schuiling et al., 1992), Kenya and Mozambique (Mpunami et al., 1996).KeywordsCoconut PalmApple ProliferationMycoplasmalike OrganismPeriwinkle PlantPear DeclineThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.