Viruses in oil palm

In samples of oil palm from Bisianumu, Papua New Guinea three virus-like particle were found by electron microscopy. Two are rod-shaped, one 607 ± 30nm, the other 788 ± 53nm Jong, the third is spherical with a diameter of 32 ± 8nm. The shorter rod and the spherical particle sometimes occur together but no symptom are apparently associated with the presence of any of the particles. Their occurrence is intermittent and is most frequent at the end of the dry season when palm may be stressed. The particle have not been manually transmitted and have not been found in other areas of Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Solomon Island or Nigeria.