Lethal Yellowing

Lethal Yellowing is a phytoplasma disease that attacks many species of palms, including some commercially important species such as the Coconut and Date Palm. Infected plants will normally die in 3 to 6 months. The only effective cure is prevention, i.e. planting resistant varieties of coconut palm. The first symptom is premature dropping of most or all coconuts, regardless of size. This is termed “shelling” and most of the fallen nuts will have a brown or black water-soaked area immediately under the calyx. The second stage, usually definitive for Lethal Yellowing, is the blackening of new flower stalks. Most male flowers will be dead on the blackened inflorescences and no fruits will set. Source: Wikipedia.com