About Ganoderma zonatum Murrill
Ganoderma zonatum Murrill is a fungal plant pathogen that causes butt rot in palm species. It infects the bottom 122–152 centimeters (4–5 feet) of host palms, and also rots the palm roots. This fungus can be found in both natural and planted environments, and in most cases, it only infects palms. The fungus spreads between host plants via spores produced in its basidiocarp. After spores land on soil, they germinate. Hyphae then grow over the plant roots and move upward into the woody trunk. The fungus first damages the portion of the palm trunk closest to the soil. It expands in diameter as it moves upward through the center of the trunk, creating a cone-shaped region of infected trunk. The basidiocarp emerges at the highest point that the fungus has reached through internal growth.
