Crops > Ornamentals > Adenium obesum > Adenium, ?Phytoplasma, Indonesia



Crops > Ornamentals > Adenium obesum > Adenium, ?Phytoplasma, Indonesia

Crops OrnamentalsAdenium obesumAdenium, ?Phytoplasma, Indonesia

?Phytoplasma, Adenium

July 2008. A photo of an Adenium from Jakata, Indonesia with symptoms that were thought to be a mutation: multi-branched, long internodes, very thin branch diameter, and red. NPK fertiliser has been given and so has goat manure.

A phytoplasma was thought to be a possibility, but it could be a hormonal disorder. Phytoplasma can cause coloured flowers to change to green, petals to appear as leaflike structures, and the plant to take on a bunchy habit. They are transmitted by leafhoppers, planthoppers or psillids. To avoid spread keep affected plants isolated from healthy plants and treat them regularly with an insecticide.

Probably, best if the ‘diseased’ plants are destroyed.