Identification, incidence and characterization of Fusarium proliferatumon ornamental palms in Spain

During a survey conducted from 1998 to 2002, Fusarium proliferatum was found associated with young and adult palms belonging to the genera Chamaerops, Phoenix, Trachycarpus and Washingtonia showing symptoms of wilt and dieback. The fertility and toxicological profile of 36 strains representing different locations and hosts were studied. All of them except two, which were infertile, belonged to mating population D. Both mating types (MATD-1 and MATD-2) were isolated from the same host species, showing a high potential of genetic recombination in the field. Additionally, eight strains were fertile once crossed as female. Toxin analysis showed differences in the ability of strains to produce fumonisin B-1, moniliformin, beauvericin, fusaric acid and fusaproliferin. Only 17 of them produced all the toxins analyzed. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on Phoenix dactylifera and P. canariensis using nine F. proliferatum Spanish strains and two reference strains from Saudi Arabia. Eight months after inoculation all strains caused disease, with palms showing lesions on the bases of leaves and development of wilt symptoms similar to those originally observed in affected plants. This is the first report on the occurrence of F. proliferatum on P. dactylifera in Spain and also the first report of this pathogen on C. humilis, P. canariensis, P. reclinata, T. fortunei, W. filifera and W. robusta.