Abstract
Lethal yellowing (LY) is one of the most important diseases of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) in the American tropics because it spreads rapidly, kills palms quickly and is incurable at present. Presently, LY is restricted in its distribution to the western Caribbean region (McCoy et al., 1983) where epidemics of disease in recent decades have destroyed millions of palms in Jamaica, Florida and southern México. Further spread into Belize (Eden-Green, 1997) and Honduras (Ashburner et al., 1996) in recent years threatens coconut production in Central America because the Atlantic Tall (also known as Jamaica Tall), the most common coconut ecotype found throughout the Caribbean and along the Atlantic coast of the Americas, is highly susceptible to LY (Howard, 1983).
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Harrison, N., Cordova, I., Richardson, P., Dibonito, R. (1999). Detection and diagnosis of lethal yellowing. In: Oropeza, C., Verdeil, J.L., Ashburner, G.R., Cardeña, R., Santamaría, J.M. (eds) Current Advances in Coconut Biotechnology. Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture, vol 35. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9283-3_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9283-3_13
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