Isolation of Pathogenic Fungi (Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum, and Penicillium sp.) Associated with Palm Tree Diseases in Bani Waleed

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and isolate pathogenic fungi from palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Bani Walid. Samples were collected and examined in a laboratory at Bani Waleed University. Samples were sectioned into 0.5–1 cm pieces, washed and sterilised with 5% sodium hypochlorite for 3 minutes, rinsed three times in sterile distilled water, and dried on sterile filter papers. Pure cultures of the resulting fungi were obtained from subcultures on sterilised Potato Dextrose Agar and incubated at 25 ± 2 °C for 4-5 days. Fungal colonies were identified morphologically and microscopically according to taxonomic standard procedures. Three fungal species were identified (Alternaria alternata, Fusarium oxysporum, and Penicillium sp.), and their presence was found to be associated with leaf spot symptoms, al'bayoud, root rot, and other diseases in palm trees. To assess the susceptibility of palm seedlings to fungal infection, two varieties of date palm seeds (Dagla and Saidi) were inoculated with fungal suspensions (1x10⁶ conidia ml) obtained from diseased palm samples. Results showed that fungi caused disease infections on inoculated seedlings, indicating the potential for further research.