Fusarium solani (?), oil palm, South Asia, India

July 2013. A question was asked from india about the presence of Fusarium solani on oil palm in South Asia countries. The diagnostic symptoms were requested. In a followup email, the writer said the following:

“We observed F. solani(not F. oxysporum) on oil palm in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, India for the first time. As mentioned, it is not reported so far on this crop. The symptoms are similar to that of F. oxysporum with drying of a few leaflets on one side of leaf, leaf bending and discolouration in the stem tissue leading to sudden death of the palm. But the symptoms are completely different to that of stem wet rot that was reported earlier where the entire leaflets of middle row leaves turned to chocolate brown colour. Oozing out of putrefied liquid from the stem portion when pierced with a sharp pointed crowbar was a commonly seen symptom in case of stem wet rot which is missing in the present case. The spores extracted from the fungus are similar to that of Fusarium that appeared curved and blocks inside.Though it is observed on few palms but not found contagious to the adjacent palms and the infected palms are responding well with the stem injection of propiconazole ( tilt) 20ml mixed in 100 ml water.
A member asked if it was F. oxysporum that was meant that causes a devastating vascular wilt, endemic to parts of Africa? What are you seeing or expecting from F. solani? Note, it would be the first report in India if it is F. oxysporum and a very serious finding. It can be seed transmitted, which is why Malaysia enforces seed and pollen quarantine for all imported breeding materials.

From CABI Plantwise: The teleomorph of F. solani(Haematonectria haematococca) has previously been reported in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of India: http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/Map/GLOBAL/Haematonectria_haematococca.

Further information on this pathogen here: http://www.plantwise.org/KnowledgeBank/SearchResults.aspx?q=%22Haematonectria%20haematococca%22