Pests > Pests Entities > Fungi > False smut, date, India

June 2016. A date tree showing an insect cocoon and an orange condition on the leaves.

The bronze colour on the leaves is caused by false smut, Graphiola phoenicis. There is a fact sheet on this from the University of Florida IFAS Extension at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp140.