Maui Hotel Association Newsletter

03/2000

A serious fungal disease caused by phytophora katsurae is spreading over the Hawaiian islands. Coconut bud rot, which was mostly occurring on the windward sides, is now an epidemic affecting the leeward side as well. Diagnosis and disease eradication are extremely difficult. On newly infected trees, a rot occurs internally, with no visible external symptoms. Once external symptoms are displayed, the infected tree is already dead, and the disease may have spread to other nearby plants.

Unfortunately, the control work on coconut bud rot was never quite completed, so nothing was published on the procedures for protecting the trees with injectable fungicides.

Besides the nature of the host and disease, among the problems associated with this project were the reluctance to support the work, damage to the field experiments caused by Hurricane Iniki, and insufficient funding to continue. Research money to complete the work and find a cure for the disease is now being requested through a bill at Legislature 2000.

MHA is supporting this measure. In the meantime, an education and injection program has been put together by Hawai’i Coconut Protectors, to help protect the palms from contracting the disease. The injection will help protect the palms for a period of 9 months to a year. We recommend this procedure be done once a year, until a cure is found for the disease.The cost of the injection is $20 per tree, $15 for 50 or more trees.

This disease is now spreading on the west and south side of the island.You can see dead trees with the same symptoms in Lahaina: by the banyan tree, the tennis courts, in some proprietes along the ocean, in some of Ka’anapali, and Napili Hotels and Condos.

In Kihei, by the welcome to Kihei entrance sign, along the beach on north Kihei road, in some properties and beach parks, along the south Kihei road, in Maui Meadow, and in some Hotels, Resorts and condos.