Pink rot of inflorscence: a new disease of date palm in Kuwait

A new bacterial disease of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) "Bacterial Pink Rot of Inflorescence" was found in a farmerʹs palm plantation in Kuwait. The symptoms of this disease were dark brown spots on the spathe cover. Inside these spadices affected flowers, scattered over the inflorescence, acquired pink coloration which at later stages was surrounded by pink mucous. Pink colored colonies of bacteria were isolated from the said mucous. After artificial inoculation of detached spadices with the bacterium, exhibited the symptoms of the said disease on the flowers. Morphological and biochemical studies of bacterium suggested that it belongs to the species Serratia marcescens. In vitro control measures of bacteria were studied, using streptomycin, copper sulphate and kasumin using various concentrations with success.