Coconut tinangaja

Coconut tinangaja (Latin: Coconut tinangaja) is a specific disease of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), classified as a phytoplasma infection. The causal agent is a phytoplasma belonging to the palm yellows group, which infects the plant's vascular system, blocking the transport of nutrients and causing severe metabolic disturbances.

This disease causes a characteristic change in the appearance of the fruits and the palm crown. The primary symptom is a sharp reduction in the size of the coconuts, which become small, often deformed, and lack endosperm (copra). The palm fronds gradually turn yellow, and the overall condition of the tree deteriorates rapidly, eventually leading to its death.

The biology of the pathogen is closely linked to insect vectors, such as leafhoppers (Cicadellidae), which feed on the sap of infected plants and then transmit the phytoplasma to healthy specimens. The pathogen's life cycle includes a phase of reproduction within the phloem cells of the host plant and a circulation phase in the body of the insect vector, where the phytoplasma can also replicate.

The conditions for disease development are determined by the presence of insect vector populations in the tropical climate. High humidity and consistently warm temperatures facilitate the active reproduction of these vectors. The spread of the disease occurs in foci, gradually covering new areas of the plantation if radical measures for the localization of infected trees are not taken.

Protection and control measures include the following methods:

• Complete removal and subsequent destruction (burning) of diseased palms to eliminate the pathogen reservoir.
• Implementation of quarantine measures when transporting planting material from regions where outbreaks have been recorded.
• Management of insect vector populations using insecticides and agronomic practices.
• Breeding and selection of coconut palm varieties resistant to phytoplasma.