Consumption of Canary Island Date Palm Phoenix canariensis drupes by Pied Currawongs Strepera graculina

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 201-211
Author(s):  
Dirk Spennemann ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Canary Island ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Single Female ◽  
Date Palms ◽  
Phoenix Canariensis ◽  
Repeated Use ◽  
Ornamental Trees

In Australia, Canary Island Date Palms Phoenix canariensis are ubiquitous, widely planted as ornamental trees in private gardens and along streets and seaside promenades. Seeding freely, a single female palm can produce up to 30,000 fleshy drupes annually. Pied Currawongs Strepera graculina, which can swallow several drupes whole in a single feeding event, present as a major vector in the plant’s dispersal. Based on observations of feeding behaviour as well as an examination of resulting regurgitated pellets, this paper discusses critical factors that influence the performance of Pied Currawongs as a vector of palms. Pied Currawongs exhibit drupe selection preferences, which seem related to a drupe’s ripeness and nutritional value, and a feeding behaviour that consists of short bouts of consumption, followed by longer periods of digestion at nearby perches. As increased ripening of the fruit correlates with an increased maturation of the seed, resulting in a higher germination rate, and as repeated use of nearby perches increases the density of regurgitated seeds, such behaviour has implications on the effectiveness of Pied Currawongs as dispersers of Canary Island Date Palms.

scholarly journals The contribution of the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) to the winter diet of frugivores in novel ecosystems

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk HR Spennemann
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Canary Island ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Novel Ecosystems ◽  
Date Palms ◽  
Phoenix Canariensis ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Native Foods

Abstract With the increasing expansion in urban areas, many species have adapted to utilising horticulturally used plants as alternate or augmentary food sources, in particular, during winter – when native foods are largely absent. Ornamental palms, particularly Canary Island Date Palms, fruit continuously during most of the year and thus provide a stable food supply. Based on observational, metric and bio-chemical data, this paper examines the role Canary Island Date Palms can and do play in the nutrition of frugivorous animals, in particular, for birds. It demonstrates that with its nearly year-round provisioning of drupes, the palm plays a major role as a ‘staple’ and backup food source for several species.

Geographic Distribution and Host Range of Lethal Bronzing Associated with Phytoplasma Subgroup 16SrIV-D on Palms in Southern Louisiana

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 350-355
Author(s):  
Mary Helen Ferguson ◽  
Raghuwinder Singh ◽  
Madeline Cook ◽  
Timothy Burks ◽  
Kevin Ong
Keyword(s):  
Host Range ◽  
New Orleans ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
Canary Island ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Date Palms ◽  
Phoenix Canariensis ◽  
Sabal Palmetto ◽  
City Park

Lethal bronzing (LB), also previously known as date palm lethal decline or Texas Phoenix palm decline, associated with phytoplasma subgroup 16SrIV-D, was first identified in Louisiana in December 2013. A survey of palms showed that the disease was not only confined to City Park in New Orleans, where it was first detected, but is present in other parts of Orleans Parish, as well as two adjacent parishes. Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis) tested positive at the highest frequency, and some edible date palms (P. dactylifera) and a small proportion of cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto) tested positive as well. Symptoms do not appear to be a reliable indicator of LB, because a substantial proportion of palms indicated as symptomatic tested negative. Furthermore, not all infected palms showed symptoms. Since the palm survey conducted in 2015 to 2016, LB has positively been identified from silver date palm (P. sylvestris) and Chinese windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) in three additional parishes in Louisiana.

scholarly journals First Report of Fusarium Wilt of Canary Island Date Palm Caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. canariensis in Louisiana

Plant Disease ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 95 (9) ◽  
pp. 1192-1192 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Singh ◽  
A. Castro ◽  
D. M. Ferrin ◽  
R. S. Harris ◽  
B. Olson
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Fusarium Oxysporum ◽  
New Orleans ◽  
Fusarium Wilt ◽  
Canary Island ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Distilled Water ◽  
Date Palms ◽  
First Report ◽  
Vascular Discoloration

Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis Hort. Ex Chabaud) is a signature palm planted in New Orleans, LA. Currently, the city has approximately 1,000 mature Canary Island date palms. During the fall of 2009, 153 palms were inspected with 27 palms exhibiting typical symptoms of Fusarium wilt. Symptoms included one-sided death and a reddish brown streak on the rachis of affected fronds and death of the leaflets. Longitudinal sections of affected fronds showed vascular discoloration. Severely infected palms were completely dead. Small pieces of diseased tissue from five palms were surface sterilized with sodium hypochlorite (0.6%) for 2 to 3 min, then rinsed in sterile distilled water, blotted dry, and plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Fungal colonies on PDA produced a purple pigment, and both macro- and microconidia that are typical of Fusarium oxysporum were observed under a light microscope. A single-spore culture of isolate PDC-4701 was obtained. DNA from this isolate was extracted with a DNeasy Plant Mini kit (Qiagen Inc., Valencia, CA) and primers ef1 and ef2 were used to amplify and sequence the translation elongation factor 1-α gene (2). NCBI BLAST analysis of the 616-bp sequence resulted in 100% identity with F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis isolates PLM-385B from Texas and PLM-511A from South Carolina (GenBank Accession Nos. HM 591538 and HM 591537, respectively). Isolate PDC-4701, grown on PDA for 2 weeks, was used to inoculate 10 9-month-old P. canariensis seedlings. An 18-gauge needle was used to inject 15 ml of a 107 conidia/ml suspension into the stem near the soil line. Each seedling was inoculated at two locations and covered with Parafilm at the inoculation sites. Ten control seedlings were injected with sterile distilled water in the same manner. Inoculated and control seedlings were maintained in a greenhouse at 28 ± 2°C. Leaves of all 10 inoculated seedlings started to wilt 3 months after inoculation. Internal vascular discoloration was observed and the pathogen was reisolated from the symptomatic seedlings. No symptoms developed on any of the 10 control seedlings. On the basis of morphology and DNA sequence data, this pathogen is identified as F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis. Fusarium wilt of Canary Island date palm has been previously reported from California, Florida, Nevada, Texas, and South Carolina (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of Fusarium wilt of Canary Island date palm caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis in Louisiana, extending its geographic range. The disease may adversely affect the tradition of planting Canary Island date palms in New Orleans. The sequence of isolate PDC-4701 has been submitted to the NCBI database (GenBank Accession No. JF826442) and a culture specimen has been deposited in the Fusarium Research Center culture collection (Accession No. O-2602) at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. References: (1) M. L. Elliott et al. Plant Dis. 95:356, 2011. (2) D. M. Geiser et al. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 110:473, 2004.

scholarly journals Phoenix canariensis: Canary Island Date Palm

EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy K. Broschat
Keyword(s):  
Canary Islands ◽  
Canary Island ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Short Root ◽  
Fact Sheet ◽  
Phoenix Canariensis ◽  
Self Cleaning ◽  
Slow Growing ◽  
Basal Foot ◽  
Shaped Pattern

The Canary Island date palm is native to the Canary Islands. Although it can reach heights of 40–50 feet, it is slow growing and requires many years to attain that height. It has 8- to 15-foot-long rigid leaves that contain up to 200 V-shaped leaflets, the basal ones of which are modified into long, sharp spines. Leaves are not self-cleaning and must be manually removed when dead, but the leaf bases eventually rot off, leaving an attractive diamond-shaped pattern of leaf scars on the 2- to 3-foot-diameter trunk. On older specimens, the basal foot or so of the trunk typically is covered with short root initials. This 6-page fact sheet was written by T. K. Broschat, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, August 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st439

Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island date palm).

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Pasiecznik
Keyword(s):  
Canary Island ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Phoenix Canariensis

Abstract A datasheet on Phoenix canariensis covering, as an economically important tree, its taxonomy, importance, silviculture, distribution, biology and ecology, uses, products and pests.

scholarly journals Rapid Detection of the Fusarium oxysporum Lineage Containing the Canary Island Date Palm Wilt Pathogen

1999 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 407-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Plyler ◽  
G. W. Simone ◽  
D. Fernandez ◽  
H. C. Kistler
Keyword(s):  
Fusarium Oxysporum ◽  
Canary Island ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Genomic Library ◽  
Extraction Procedure ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Phoenix Canariensis ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Partial Genomic Library

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. canariensis causes Fusarium wilt disease on the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis). To facilitate disease management, a polymerase chain reaction diagnostic method has been developed to rapidly detect the pathogen. A partial genomic library of F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis isolate 95-913 was used to identify a DNA sequence diagnostic for a lineage containing all tested isolates of F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis. Two oligonucleotide primers were designed and used to amplify a 567-bp fragment with F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis DNAs. DNA from 61 outgroup isolates did not amplify using these primers. Once the primers were shown to amplify a 0.567-kb fragment from DNA of all the F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis isolates tested, a rapid DNA extraction procedure was developed that led to the correct identification of 98% of the tested F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis isolates.

scholarly journals First Report of Bud Rot of Canary Island Date Palm Caused by Phytophthora palmivora in Italy

Plant Disease ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 1059-1059
Author(s):  
A. Pane ◽  
C. Allatta ◽  
G. Sammarco ◽  
S. O. Cacciola
Keyword(s):  
Canary Island ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Brown Rot ◽  
Selective Medium ◽  
Phytophthora Species ◽  
Phytophthora Palmivora ◽  
American Phytopathological Society ◽  
First Report ◽  
Phoenix Canariensis ◽  
Electrophoretic Patterns

Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis hort. ex Chabaud) is planted as an ornamental in Mediterranean climatic regions of the world. From 2004 to 2006, withering of the spear leaf was observed on screenhouse-grown potted plants of this palm in Sicily (Italy). The first symptom was a dark brown rot that extended from the petiole base of the spear to the adjacent youngest leaves and killed the bud. Dissection of plants revealed a foul-smelling internal rot. After the bud died, external older leaves remained green for months. As much as 10% of plants in a single nursery were affected. A Phytophthora species was consistently isolated from symptomatic plants on BNPRAH selective medium (4). Single zoospore isolates were obtained from the colonies. The species isolated was identified as Phytophthora palmivora (E. J. Butler) E. J. Butler on the basis of morphological and cultural characteristics (3). On V8 juice agar, the isolates produced elliptical to ovoid, papillate sporangia (33 to 77 × 22 to 38 μm) with a mean length/breadth ratio of 1.8. Sporangia were caducous with a short pedicel (mean pedicel length = 5 μm) and had a conspicuous basal plug. All isolates were heterothallic and produced amphigynous antheridia, oogonia, and oospores when paired with reference isolates of P. nicotianae and P. palmivora of the A2 mating type. The oogonium wall was smooth. Identification was confirmed by electrophoresis of mycelial proteins in polyacrylamide slab gels (1). The electrophoretic patterns of total mycelial proteins and four isozymes (alkaline phosphatase, esterase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase of the isolates) from Phoenix canariensis were identical to those of P. palmivora reference isolates, including four Italian ones, two from pittosporum and olive, respectively, and two (IMI 390579 and 390580) from Grevillea spp. Phoenix canariensis isolates were clearly distinct from those of other heterothallic papillate species including P. capsici, P. citrophthora, P. katsurae, P. nicotianae, and P. tropicalis. Pathogenicity of one isolate from Phoenix canariensis (IMI 395345) was tested on 10 2-year-old potted Canary Island date palm plants. An aqueous 105 zoospores per ml suspension (200 μl) was pipetted onto unwounded petiole bases of the three youngest central leaves of each plant. Sterile water was pipetted onto 10 control plants. All plants were incubated in 100% humidity at 24°C for 48 h and maintained in a greenhouse at 20 to 28°C. Within 3 weeks after inoculation, inoculated plants developed symptoms identical to those observed on plants with natural infections. Control plants remained healthy. P. palmivora was reisolated from symptomatic plants. Phytophthora bud rot is a common palm disease worldwide and Phoenix canariensis is reported as a host (2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of Phytophthora bud rot on Phoenix canariensis in Italy. References: (1) S. O. Cacciola et al. EPPO Bull. 20:47, 1990. (2) M. L. Elliot et al., eds. Compendium of Ornamental Palm Diseases and Disorders. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 2004. (3) D. C. Erwin and O. K. Ribeiro. Phytophthora Diseases Worldwide. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1996. (4) H. Masago et al. Phytopathology, 67:425, 1977.

scholarly journals Deformation of the Date Palm tree trunk in Dammam Metropolitan Area: causes and consequences

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Ali Omar Al-Sulbi
Keyword(s):  
Metropolitan Area ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Ground Deformation ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Phoenix Dactylifera ◽  
Palm Tree ◽  
Date Palms ◽  
Palm Trees ◽  
Ornamental Trees ◽  
Cut Leaves

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is one of the elegant trees that performs several landscaping functions. Its single trunk textured by bases of the cut leaves distinguishes it from other ornamental trees. This cylindrical textured trunk is one of the major attractive features emphasized the use of date palms as ornamental landscaping trees. Across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Date palms in public landscaping schemes have experienced deformation of their trunks. This is a function of several factors related to plantation, irrigation, and maintenance. This research to investigate and categorise the causes, types, and forms of date palm trees‘ trunks deformation. Prior to a field survey, a randomly conducted pilot survey to collect data from different areas where date palms are used as landscaping ornamental trees across the Dammam Metropolitan Area (DMA). It applies direct observation, measuring and analysis to develop preliminary understanding of the phenomena; and apply its outcomes on a case study of the Dammam City Seafront (DCS). The result showed that date palm trees‘ trunks deformation has occurred at bottom, middle, and upper parts as results of several factors; and it is as high as almost 97% among investigated trees. However, 58% of deformation symptoms processes have been noticed on bottom third of the date palm trees‘ trunks, near soil surface; and 27.5% of them are in the King Abdullah Seafront Park (KASP). The study proves statistically that sprinkler and bubbler irrigation systems are of major responsibility for near ground deformation of palm trees‘ trunks, which expands at rate of 3.5 and 3.3 CM/Year.

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