Balocchi, FelipeWingfield, Michael J.Paap, Trudy2024-12-112024-12-112024-12Balocchi, F., Wingfield, M.J. and Paap, T. (2024), First Report of Fusarium Wilt and Pink Rot of Phoenix canariensis in South Africa. Forest Pathology, 54: e70001. https://doi.org/10.1111/efp.70001.1437-4781 (print)1439-0329 (online)10.1111/efp.70001http://hdl.handle.net/2263/99873DATA AVAILABITY STATEMENT: The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in GenBank (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/).Canary Island date palm, Phoenix canariensis, is a popular ornamental species commonly planted in urban areas worldwide, including South Africa. In November 2023, symptoms typical of Fusarium wilt were detected on ornamental palms at the Waterfront in Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Samples were collected from three wilting palms with one sided frond death and pink sporulation on the bark. Isolations to culture media yielded two fungal species, which were confirmed based on DNA sequence data as Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. canariensis (Foc) and Nalanthamala vermoesenii. Fusarium wilt, caused by Foc, is among the most serious diseases of these palms. There is no effective treatment for this vascular wilt disease and infected palms inevitably die. Pink rot, caused by N. vermoesenii, is commonly found as a secondary infection associated with Fusarium wilt in P. canariensis. This is the first detection of the Fusarium wilt and pink rot pathogens in South Africa.en© 2024 The Author(s). Forest Pathology published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License.BiosecurityCanary Island date palmFusarium oxysporum f.sp. canariensisNalanthamala vermoeseniiVascular wiltSDG-11: Sustainable cities and communitiesSDG-15: Life on landArticle