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Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center

Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center

Palm Problems Key - Leaves (canopy)

Entire Canopy (most or all leaves):

  • Wilting

    a. fungal conk (basidiocarp) present on trunk

    Ganoderma butt rot

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP100

    b. no fungal conk on trunk

    1) older leaves dying and hanging against trunk; leaves may first become chlorotic or discolored; symptoms primarily on ‘Malayan Dwarf’ coconuts

    lethal yellowing

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP146

    2) top of root system is not found within top 6 to 12 inches of soil

    palm planted too deeply

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP263

    3) soil is water-logged

    poor soil aeration

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP263

    4)cross-sections of trunk show rotting or discoloration of wood (determined after palm is cut down)

    a) discoloration confined to lowest 4 feet, usually concentrated in the center of trunk

    Ganoderma butt rot

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP100

    b) trunk discoloration with dark fibrous appearance concentrated on one side of trunk

    Thielaviopsis trunk rot

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP143

  • Necrotic leaves w/ erect canopy

    palm dies within a few months;

    palm is Syagrus romanzoffiana or Washingtonia robusta

    Fusarium Wilt

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp278

  • Leaves reduced in size

    a.leaves uniformly light green or yellow in color

    nitrogen deficiency

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP268

    b. leaves chlorotic and necrotic

    late stage potassium deficiency

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP269

  • Canopy growth in sharp angle to trunk axis

    boron deficiency

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP264

  • Canopy topless from trunk,usually wiwthout warning, rotted, black fibers

    Thielaviopsis trunk rot

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP143

  • Collapse of almost all leaves in canopy (more than wilting)
    a. rapid (1 to 7 days) collapse
    lightning damage

    b. moderately fast (more than 2 weeks) to slow collapse of crown (months)
    1) longitudinal-section through crown area shows crumbly trunk tissue (actually insect frass) and possibly ¾ to 1 inch long gray caterpillars
     
    Opogona (banana moth) larvae damage

    FACTSHEET: IP-24.pdf

    2) longitudinal-section through crown reveals galleries packed with frass, sometimes with creamy white grubs, cocoons or pupae; most common in Sabal palmetto or Phoenix canariensis, especially if stressed

    palmetto weevil damage
     

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN139

  • Leaves tattered
    Wind damage

     

  • Leaflets missing or partially missing from leap tips

    boron deficiency


    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP264

  • Chlorosys or necrosys of distal portion of leaves close to high voltage power lines

    powerline decline

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP263

  • Leaves uniformly light green

    Nitrogen deficiency

    Chronic iron deficiency
    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP265
  • Spotting on leaves

    A. Uniformly-colored necrotic spots accompanied by leaflet tip necrosis

    Foliar spray toxicity

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP263

    B. “spots” not raised; variable in size and in color from yellow to black; most common on small, immature palms.

    Leaf spot diseases

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP142

  • Leaf bases (and often dead leaf blades) covered with light salmon-pink spores

    Gliocladium blight

    Fig-22-Gliocladium-in-Washingtonia-L-150x180

Most severe on oldest (lowest) leaves:

Palm problems youngest leaves:

  • Spear leaf (youngest unopened leaf) discolored or collapsed

    a. spear leaf hanging down, but does not pull out of bud

    1) palm otherwise healthy

    boron deficiency

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP264

    b. spear leaf pulls easily out of bud

    1) on cold-damaged palm

    secondary bacterial bud rot

    [Note:  cold damage occurred weeks prior to bud rot symptoms]

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP144

    2) non cold-damaged palm

    a) lowest leaves healthy

    Phytophthora bud rot | Thielaviopsis bud rot

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP144

    b) lowest leaves discolored brown or gray; Phoenix spp.

    lethal yellowing

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP146

    Texas Phoenix palm decline

    FACTSHEET:

    Texas Phoenix palm decline http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP163

  • No new leaves emerging

    a. rest of leaves still mostly green


    bud rot  (bacterial, Phytophthora or Thielaviopsis)

    non-pathogenic bud dama (physical damage to bud as might occur during a hurricane)

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP144

    b. lowest leaves brown; upper leaves green; palm is Phoenix sp.


    1) lethal yellowing
    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP146

    2) Texas Phoenix palm decline


    FACTSHEET: Texas Phoenix palm decline http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP163

  • New leaves chlorotic

    a. necrotic streaking present

    manganese deficiency

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP267

    1) no necrotic streaking present

    iron deficiency

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP265

    2) green spots on chlorotic new leaves

    iron deficiency

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP265

    3) leaflets of chlorotic new leaves becoming necrotic and palm is Roystonea sp.

    royal palm bug damage

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN254

  • New leaves reduced in size, but older leaves full-sized.

    A. new leaves mostly necrotic

    1) leaflets curled or frizzled; leaflet necrosis more severe towards base of leaf

    manganese deficiency

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP267

    2) leaflets not curled or frizzled

    pre-emergent herbicide injury (Figs. 53a & 53b)

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP263

    B. new leaves not necrotic, but crumpled and greatly reduced in size

    boron deficiency

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP264

    C. new leaves have truncated tips

    1) all leaflet tips truncated (Cocos nucifera only)

    manganese deficiency

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP267

    2) distal leaflets truncated in inverted “V” shape

    boron deficiency

    FACTSHEET URL: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP264

  • New leaves have sharply hooked leaflet tips

    boron deficiency

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP264

  • Spear (and often other new leaves) fail to open normally

    boron deficiency

    FACTSHEET: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP264

  • Transverse puckering or transverse translucent streaking on leaflets.