Dr. Khairallah Mousa Awad, Director of the Date Palm Research Center, participated as a member of the Ph.D. dissertation defense committee at the College of Agriculture, University of Basrah. The dissertation was presented by researcher Basil Yousif Mahdi from the Department of Plant Protection and was entitled:
“Study of Inflorescence Rot Disease of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) in Basrah Province and Its Control Using Certain Chemical Compounds and Biological Agents.”
The dissertation aimed to investigate the inflorescence rot disease of date palms in Basrah Province. The causal pathogens were isolated and identified both morphologically and molecularly using PCR technology, and were registered with the NCBI. Two new fungal species causing the disease were recorded: Neodeightonia phoenicum and Fusarium nygamai. To control the disease, the fungicide Ortiva Top, chitosan, and the biocontrol fungus Trichoderma longibrachiatum were employed.
