Black scorch disease of date palm

Black scorch disease is considered one of the important and damaging diseases of date palm in many regions of the world, including Oman, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. The disease was first reported in Iran in 2014 from Tabas in South Khorasan Province, and in the following years, symptoms of the disease were observed scattered in Kerman, Hormozgan, Fars and Bushehr provinces. Two fungi, Thielaviopsis paradoxa and T. radicicola, are known as causal agents of the disease. Disease symptoms include tissue dieback, wilting, canopy bowing, terminal meristem rot, and tree dieback. The disease is commonly observed on trees suffering from environmental stress, particularly salt and drought stress. Although the susceptibility of different cultivars to the disease varies, the disease has been reported in 21 date palm cultivars worldwide to date. This article describes integrated disease management methods, including preventing diseases from entering the area, preventing damage to date palms, adhering to plant health principles, managing environmental stress, and proper ventilation in the grove, as well as biological and chemical control.