• Initial symptoms of Thanjore wilt (Ganoderma wilt) start with yellowing and drooping of the outer whorl of leaves.
• This is followed by exudation of reddish brown liquid through cracks at the base of the trunk and oozing spread upwards.
• Decaying of tissues at bleeding point and rotting of the basal portion of the stem
• The bark turns brittle and often gets peeled off in flakes, leaving open cracks and crevices. The internal tissues are discoloured, disintegrated and emitting a bad smell.
• Bracket formation at the base of the trunk during rainy season. Ultimately the palm dies off.

Management:
Cultural method

• Remove and destroy all affected palms.
• Green manure crops must be raised and ploughed in situ before flowering.

Biological method

• Apply Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf-1) @ 200g/palm + Trichoderma viride @ 200g/palm/year.
• Apply 200g Phosphobacteria and 200 g Azotobactor mixed with 50kg of FYM/palm.
• Apply FYM 50kg + neem cake 5 Kg once in 6 months along with fertilizers.

Chemical method

• The bleeding patches in the stem may be chiseled and protected with tridemorph (5% calxin) and subsequently with hot coal tar.
• Aureofungin-sol 2 g +1 g Copper Sulphate in 100ml water applied as root feeding. (The active absorbing root of pencil thickness must be selected and a slanting cut is made. Keep the solution in a polythene bag or bottle and the cut end of the root should be dipped in the solution).
• Root feeding with Tridemorph 2ml or Hexaconazole 1 ml with 100 ml of water (3 times at 3 months interval).
• Forty litres of 1% Bordeaux mixture should be applied as soil drench around the trunk in a radius of 1.5m.