Fighting to save the ’Tree of Life’

PA 237/10 Scientists from The University of Nottingham have joined forces with researchers in Africa to tackle a lethal disease which is devastating a vital resource and foodstuff.. the coconut palm. Referred to worldwide as the 'Tree of Life', the coconut is an important source of livelihood for many smallholder and farmers in the developing world, providing food and drink, fuel-wood, oil, animal feed and building materials. But a disease called 'Lethal Decline', caused by phytoplasma bacteria, has been wreaking havoc in the tropical and coastal regions of Africa in recent decades, causing severe hardship and environmental damage. Researchers from the University's Division of Plant and Crop Sciences have returned from a trip to Ghana where they've been working with the country's Oil Palm Research Institute. The aims of the collaboration are to develop new ways of diagnosing the disease, to investigate how it spreads and to deploy new resistant varieties.