Abstract
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) with a surface area of about 31300 hectares contains about 6500 hectares of non-fertile palm trees and about 24800 hectares of fertile palm trees with an average yield of 5814 kg and 144.100 tons of date palms production is one of the important and strategic gardening products in Khuzestan province, which plays an important role. It is one of the important fruit crops in different parts of several regions, including Ahwaz, Abadan, Behbahan, Khoramshahr, Shadegan, Sosangerd and Mahshar. Inflorescence rot (Khamedj) is an important disease of date palm which limits its yield. The identification of the causal pathogen is a key step to management and prevention of this disease, and such studies are primitive and very necessary. The objective of this present study was to identify the causal agent of inflorescence rot disease occurring on date palms prevailing in Southern Khozestan province. The diseased date palm trees were observed in Abadan, Shadegan and Khoramshar regions. After transferring the samples to the laboratory, surface sterilization with 2% sodium hypochlorite was performed and then was cultured on potato-dextrose-agar (PDA) medium. Then the isolates were identified after purification using morphological characteristics. Based on morphological characteristics, in addition to M. Scaettae, associated with relationship successfully identified that the causal pathogen of date palm inflorescence rot disease in southern part of Khuzestan, Fusarium proliferatum was recognized as a new agent. Pathogenecity test confirmed the disease-causing ability of the fungus. Identification of this new causal agent of inflorescence rot may help the plant pathologists to control this disease. This is the first report on the occurrence of of inflorescence rot caused by F. proliferatum in date palm in Khozestan province.
Key words: Inflorescence rot, Fusarium proliferatum, morphological, pathogenecity, isolates.