VIEW ARTICLE

Etiology

Electron Microscopy of Flagellated Protozoa Associated with Marchitez Sorpresiva Disease of African Oil Palm in Ecuador. D. L. Thomas, Assistant professor, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Research Center, 3205 SW 70th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale 33314; R. E. McCoy(2), R. C. Norris(3), and A. S. Espinoza(4). (2)(3)Associate professor, and technologist, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Research Center, 3205 SW 70th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale 33314; (4)Plant pathologist, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Apartado 2600, Quito, Ecuador. Phytopathology 69:222-226. Accepted for publication 5 October 1978. Copyright 1979 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-69-222.

Mature sieve elements of oil palms from Ecuador with marchitez sorpresiva (sudden wilt) disease contained uniflagellated protozoa that were classified in the genus Phytomonas of the family Trypanosomatidae. Phloem necrosis was not evident and distribution of the flagellates was uneven in diseased palms. Although the etiologic role of the protozoa was not determined, our study supports previous research hypothesizing that trypanosomatid protozoa are involved in the marchitez sorpresiva disease syndrome.