Symptoms - Poor germination, blackening of roots, or mushiness can be followed by yellowing, wilting and loss of the plant or seedling. Fusarium , Rhizoctonia , Pythium , and Phytophthora spp. The soil moisture should be maintained as low as possible to reduce pathogen growth without reducing plant growth. Symptoms - Sclerotinia blight of palms occurs on small seedlings up to 2 ft. tall. Foliar blighting is accompanied by gray to white mycelium which frequently covers overlapping pinnae of affected fronds.
Individual lesions are irregular in shape and surrounded by a water-soaked band of tissue.
Lesions eventually turn tan to gray with a dark brown border. Disease incidence is highest during March and April in south Florida. The major arthropod pests of Areca palms include caterpillars, root mealybugs, mites, scales, and thrips. In the control section for each pest, a few of the many registered and effective pesticides will be listed. For a complete listing please consult the references at the end of this report.