Resumen
- The predominant disease affecting oil palms in Colombia is bud rot, a decay of the growing leaf tissues that may eventually reach the meristem. Previous studies have suggested many biotic and abiotic causes, but Koch’s Postulates have recently confirmed Phytophthora palmivora as the primary pathogen of bud rot. In this paper, we describe the infection process in immature leaflets inoculated with zoospores of P. palmivora using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Initially, zoospores were attracted primarily to leaf trichomes, where some developed appressorium-like structures and subsequently penetrated the tissue.