Review Update on the Life Cycle, Plant–Microbe Interaction, Genomics, Detection and Control Strategies of the Oil Palm Pathogen Ganoderma boninense

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Palm oil is one of the main crops produced in Southeast Asia. However, the palm oil plantations within the region were severely affected by the basal stem rot (BSR) disease, caused by Ganoderma boninense. The disease causes substantial economic losses to oil palm producers, especially Indonesia and Malaysia. This review will cover the current knowledge on G. boninense published within the last 10 years. ABSTRACT: Plant pathogens are key threats to agriculture and global food security, causing various crop diseases that lead to massive economic losses. Palm oil is a commodity export of economic importance in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia. However, the sustainability of oil palm plantations and production is threatened by basal stem rot (BSR), a devastating disease predominantly caused by the fungus Ganoderma boninense Pat. In Malaysia, infected trees have been reported in nearly 60% of plantation areas, and economic losses are estimated to reach up to ~USD500 million a year. This review covers the current knowledge of the mechanisms utilized by G. boninense during infection and the methods used in the disease management to reduce BSR, including cultural practices, chemical treatments and antagonistic microorganism manipulations. Newer developments arising from multi-omics technologies such as whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) are also reviewed. Future directions are proposed to increase the understanding of G. boninense invasion mechanisms against oil palm. It is hoped that this review can contribute towards an improved disease management and a sustainable oil palm production in this region.