A Technical Report from The Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Lethal bronzing of palm (formerly Texas Phoenix Palm Decline) is a vascular disease caused by a specific type of phytoplasma related to the pathogen that causes lethal yellowing of coconut. Phytoplasmas are bacteria that lack a cell wall and are restricted to the phloem tissue. The lethal bronzing causal agent can clog the vascular tissue of the palm, rapidly reducing vitality and leading to death. In the United States, the disease has been detected in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.