Identification

• Palm trees are susceptible to infection from the Candidatus phytoplasma palmae bacterium. The pathogen is transmitted by the plant hopper and infects the carbohydrate-transporting palm tissues. About 36 different palm species are host to the bacteria.
  
  

Damage

• Initial symptoms in fruiting palm species are the appearance of water soaked, brown to black areas on fruit ends, followed by dying flowers. Lower foliage of tree starts to turn yellow and move upward in the crown. The leaves gradually turn brown and hang down on the tree for a number of weeks before falling off entirely. As disease progresses, the entire crown falls within three to five months of infection.
  
  

Management

• Use resistant palm varieties. Inject the antibiotic oxytetracycline HCI or OTC into the infected tree trunk on the first symptom of disease and continue for four months. Palms with 25 percent affected foliage do not respond to treatment. Controlling the plant hopper with insecticides is not effective.