Basal stem rot of oil palm incited by Ganoderma species: A review

• Main Authors: Supramani, Sugenendran, Rejab, Nur Ardiyana, Zulkiflee Lubes, Zul Ilham, Wan Mohtar, Wan Abd Al Qadr Imad, Ghosh, Soumya
• Format: Article
• Published: Springer 2022
• Subjects: QH301 Biology; S Agriculture (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/41593/

Oil palm infectious diseases have devastating economic implications for the Southeast Asian nations of Indonesia and Malaysia. Therefore, this paper reviews oil palm growth, related diseases, specifically Ganoderma sp. infection, and control methods. The literature was sourced from Scopus using the following keywords: Oil palm, palm oil, Ganoderma boninense, Ganoderma, Elaeis, basal stem rot, Elates guineensis, fungi, Arecaceae, and microbiology. The majority (73.1%) of infection control methods focused on biological methods such as biological control agents (BCA), metabolites from BCAs, and the development of resistant oil palm varieties. The second most frequent subject included chemical control methods such as fungicides and fertilisers (25.6%), and only one study (1.3%) focused on a mechanical (cultural) control method (pulverisation). Trichoderma spp. were the most frequently studied BCA. Other BCAs included Pseudomonas aeruginosa, endophytes of oil palm, Pycnoporus sanguineus, Streptomyces, Hymenomycetes, Burkholderia cepacian, and Schizophyllum commune. Currently, there is no effective method to combat G. boninense infection. The reviewed biological, chemical, and mechanical control methods are available to the industry, leaving scope for future studies.