Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a tropical perennial
native to west and southwest Africa, and is economically
important because of its multiples uses, including
food, cosmetics and fuel. Oil palm is an important
perennial plantation species in agro-forestry of Thailand.
The production area is approximately 625,600
ha, with about 528,400 ha in southern Thailand
(Chavananand 2011). However, southern Thailand has
a high annual rainfall, and like other cultivated crops
grown there, oil palm faces several diseases, from the
seedling to mature stage.
The fungi of tropical Thailand have been poorly
studied, and there is no prior report on leaf spot of oil
palm seedlings in Thailand. This research focused on
identifying the phytopathogenic fungi that cause leaf
spot of oil palm seedlings in Thailand, by using morphological
and molecular properties.