Pathogenicity of Bacillus circulans to Seedlings of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera). J. V. Leary, Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside 92521. W. W. C. Chun, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside 92521. Plant Dis. 73:353-354. Accepted for publication 27 December 1988. Copyright 1989 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-73-0353.

When inoculated to seeds of eight date palm cultivars, Bacillus circulans isolate B02-3, pathogenic to date palm tissue cultures, significantly reduced the germination frequency of three cultivars and the fresh weights and lengths of seedlings of four cultivars. A significant number of inoculated seedlings of those four cultivars showed disease symptoms consisting of necrosis that progressed down the cotyledon, followed by wilting.