Etiology and Integrated Management of Economically Important Fungal Diseases of Ornamental Palms

Palms are monocots, Angiosperms, belonging to the family Palmae (Arecaceae), perennials having woody stems. Palmae (Arecaceae) family comprised of about six subfamilies, 200 genera and 2,700 species that are distributed all over the tropical, subtropical and Mediterranean landscape. Palms are diverse (ecologically and morphologically) group of plants. Ornamental palms are important component of landscape as well as interiorscapes. Additionally, these plants are good source of food, feed and shelter with numerous other commercial benefits. Likewise other trees and crops, landscape and field nurseries of palms are also subjected to various threats of insect pest and diseases (caused by different plant pathogens). Amongst fungal diseases leaf spots, leaf blights, Fusarium wilts, butt rots, bud rots, root rots, lethal yellowing and decline of palms are major growth constraints of palm growth. In developing countries very little attention has been paid on the etiology and management of these fungal diseases on ornamental palms. Accurate diagnosis and reliable management plan of palm fungal diseases usually requires expertise in both modern and advanced plant pathological approaches. Historically it was general belief that plant pathogens are not associated with human diseases. Since 19th century, several clinical reports are available indicating many plant pathogenic fungi (Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Alternaria spp., Trichoderma spp., Fusarium spp., Curvularia spp. and Colletotrichum Spp) as novel agents of human diseases. Besides the association of fungal plant pathogens infecting ornamental palms, harbouring any of earlier mentioned or other fungal species (capable of causing certain diseases in human beings or pets) by the ornamental palms cultivation (either grown indoor or outdoor) is an important area of research to be explored and addressed thoroughly. This book will provide the deep information regarding major fungal diseases of ornamental palms, their symptoms, disease identification, and etiology and management strategies. This book will also provide unique knowledge regarding the ornamental palms harbouring kinds of human fungal pathogens and their practical management at domestic and commercial scale, in order to make cultivation of these plant more beneficial for humans, animals and environment. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Ornamental Horticulture: Economic Importance, Current Scenario and Future Prospects (Iftikhar Ahmad, Hafiz Atta-ur-Rehman Saeed, Muhammad Abdul Salam Khan)....Pages 3-40 Ornamental Palms: Molecular Taxonomy, Ecology and Distribution (Siddra Ijaz, Maria Babar)....Pages 41-72 Cultivation and Growth Constraints of Ornamental Palms (Muhammad Azam, Rashad Qadri, Muhammad Tahir Akram, Shaghef Ejaz)....Pages 73-81 Front Matter ....Pages 83-83 Fungi: Cynosure of Ornamental Palms Diseases (Imran Ul Haq, Siddra Ijaz, Qaiser Shakeel, Guoqing Li, Long Yang, Ifrah Rashid)....Pages 85-113 Fungal Diseases of Foxtail Palm (Wodyetia bifurcata) (Rana Muhammad Sabir Tariq, Saleem Shahzad, Abdul Qayoom Rajput)....Pages 115-123 Fungal Diseases of Cat Palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum), Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) and Cluster Palm (Chamaedorea costaricana) (Qaiser Shakeel, Mingde Wu, Jing Zhang, Zia-Ul-Haq)....Pages 125-140 Fungal Diseases of Washingtonia Palm (Washingtonia robusta) ( Iqra, Nabeeha Aslam Khan, Muhammad Zunair Latif, Yasir Iftikhar)....Pages 141-148 Fungal Diseases of Golden Palm (Dypsis lutescens) (Muhammad Taimoor Shakeel, N. I. Katis, Muhammad Mohsin Alam, Rashida Atiq, Qaiser Shakeel)....Pages 149-158 Fungal Diseases of Bismarckia Palm (Bismarckia nobilis) (Rana Muhammad Sabir Tariq, Saboohi Raza, Tanveer Ahmad)....Pages 159-167 Fungal Diseases of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera): Etiology and Management (Imran Ul Haq, Nabeeha Aslam Khan)....Pages 169-196 Fungal Diseases of Alexandra Palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) and Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana) (Adnan Ahmad, Muhammad Raheel, Qaiser Shakeel, Anjum Faraz, Khalid Pervaiz Akhtar)....Pages 197-201 Fungal Diseases of Ravenea Palm (Ravenea rivularis); Etiology and Management (Muhammad Zunair Latif)....Pages 203-220 Fungal Diseases of Royal Palm (Roystonea regia) (Rabia Tahir Bajwa, Qaiser Shakeel, Muhammad Raheel, Ifrah Rashid)....Pages 221-235 Fungal Diseases of Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa) and Fishtail Palm (Caryota mitis) (Muhammad Kaleem Sarwar, Rashda Naheed, Siddra Ijaz, Imran Ul Haq)....Pages 237-249 Front Matter ....Pages 251-251 Fungal Diseases of Traveler’s Palm (Ravenala madagascariensis) (Rana Muhammad Sabir Tariq, Tanveer Ahmad)....Pages 253-263 Fungal Diseases of Kangi Palm (Cycas revoluta) (Anjum Faraz, Muhammad Zunair Latif, Owais Yaseen)....Pages 265-274 Back Matter ....Pages 275-287