scholarly journals Survey and Detection of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ in a Citrus Nursery Facility in South Texas

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 184-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufemi J. Alabi ◽  
Madhurababu Kunta ◽  
Jon Dale ◽  
Mamoudou Sétamou
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Tissue ◽  
South Texas ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Texas Department ◽  
Nursery Production ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus

Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), is primarily spread via infected citrus nursery trees and by infective Asian citrus psyllid, the insect vector. Recently, the Texas Department of Agriculture initiated regulations requiring commercial and retail citrus nurseries in Texas to transition from traditional open-field to enclosed facilities with insect-resistant screens to mitigate the risk of nurseries serving as sources of CLas. Although several nursery production facilities have adopted this regulation, non-enclosed nurseries persist and pose a significant threat to the citrus industry as potential sources of CLas. A systematic survey for HLB was embarked on in a semi-open nursery facility in South Texas in April 2014. Leaf tissue samples taken from 94 trees representing 5% of the total number of potted trees in the nursery were tested for CLas by quantitative and conventional PCR assays. Of 94 trees tested, 3.2% (3 trees) were positive for CLas by both assays. The presence of CLas in the PCR-positive samples was confirmed by multi-locus sequence analyses. The results represent the first report of HLB in a nursery facility in Texas, and underscore the need for more intensive surveillance for HLB in citrus nursery stock as an integral component of HLB mitigation efforts in Texas. Accepted for publication 27 August 2014. Published 15 December 2014.

scholarly journals Distribution of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus in Citrus and the Asian Citrus Psyllid in Texas Over a Decade

Plant Disease ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 1118-1126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamoudou Sétamou ◽  
Olufemi J. Alabi ◽  
Madhurababu Kunta ◽  
Jon Dale ◽  
John V. da Graça
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Tissue ◽  
The United States ◽  
Asian Citrus Psyllid ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Survey Period ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Citrus Trees

Huanglongbing (HLB, citrus greening disease) in the major citrus-producing states of the United States is associated with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), which is vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). Surveys were conducted in Texas from 2007 to 2017 to assess the prevalence and titer of CLas in ACPs and citrus trees. ACP and citrus leaf tissue samples were collected from suspect trees in residential areas and commercial groves (orchards) and assayed for CLas by quantitative PCR. CLas detection in ACPs (2011) preceded that of citrus trees (2012) by several months. Annual incidences of CLas-positive ACPs and leaf tissue followed an exponential growth pattern over the survey period, varying from 0.03 to 28.7% in ACPs and 0.6 to 36.5% in citrus trees. There was a significant and positive relationship between the monthly incidences of CLas-positive ACP and leaf tissue samples. The proportion of HLB detection sites also increased with time, reaching 26 and 40% of commercial groves and residential sites, respectively, by 2017. Seasonal variations were observed in the incidences of CLas-positive ACPs and citrus trees such that significantly more CLas-positive ACPs and trees were recorded during the fall and winter of a given year relative to the hot summer. A temporal analysis of the class distribution of cycle threshold values revealed a trend of increased bacterial accumulation in ACPs and trees over time, with the trend more pronounced for the former than the latter host type. These findings provide a comprehensive insight into the ongoing CLas/HLB epidemic in Texas, with potential lessons for California and other citrus-producing areas where the disease is not yet established.

scholarly journals Susceptibility of Sixteen Citrus Genotypes to ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’

Plant Disease ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 100 (6) ◽  
pp. 1080-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg McCollum ◽  
Mark Hilf ◽  
Mike Irey ◽  
Weiqi Luo ◽  
Tim Gottwald
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Citrus Germplasm ◽  
Citrus Production ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Florida Citrus ◽  
Citrus Macrophylla ◽  
Free Ranging

Huanglongbing (HLB) disease is the most serious threat to citrus production worldwide and, in the last decade, has devastated the Florida citrus industry. In the United States, HLB is associated with the phloem-limited α-proteobacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ and its insect vector, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP; Diaphorina citri). Significant effort is being put forth to develop novel citrus germplasm that has a lower propensity to succumb to HLB than do currently available varieties. Effective methods of screening citrus germplasm for susceptibility to HLB are essential. In this study, we exposed small, grafted trees of 16 citrus types to free-ranging ACP vectors and ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ inoculum in the greenhouse. During 45 weeks of exposure to ACP, the cumulative incidence of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ infection was 70%. Trees of Citrus macrophylla and C. medica were most susceptible to ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’, with 100% infection by the end of the test period in three trials, while the complex genetic hybrids ‘US 1-4-59’ and ‘Fallglo’ consistently were least susceptible, with approximately 30% infection. Results obtained in this greenhouse experiment showed good agreement with trends observed in the orchard, supporting the validity of our approach for screening citrus germplasm for susceptibility to HLB.

Probing the application of OmpA-derived peptides to disrupt the acquisition of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ by Diaphorina citri

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Vinicius Merfa e Silva ◽  
Eduarda Regina Fischer ◽  
Mariana de Souza e Silva ◽  
Carolina Sardinha Francisco ◽  
Helvécio Coletta-Filho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategies ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Diaphorina Citri ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Host Interaction ◽  
Vector Population ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Bacterial Outer Membrane

Huanglongbing (HLB) is currently the most devastating disease of citrus worldwide. Both bacteria ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas) and ‘Ca. Liberibacter americanus’ (CLam) are associated with HLB in Brazil, but with a strong prevalence of CLas over CLam. Conventionally, HLB management focuses on controlling the insect vector population (Diaphorina citri; also known as Asian citrus psyllid – ACP) by spraying insecticides, an approach demonstrated to be mostly ineffective. Thus, development of novel more efficient HLB control strategies is required. The multifunctional bacterial outer membrane protein OmpA is involved in several molecular processes between bacteria and their hosts and has been suggested as a target for bacterial control. Curiously, OmpA is absent in CLam in comparison to CLas, suggesting a possible role on host-interaction. Therefore, in the current study, we have treated ACPs with different OmpA-derived peptides aiming to evaluate the acquisition of CLas by the insect vector. Treatment of psyllids with 5 µM of Pep1, Pep3, Pep5 and Pep6 in artificial diet significantly reduced the acquisition of CLas, while increasing the concentration of Pep5 and Pep6 to 50 µM abolished this process. In addition, in planta treatment with 50 µM of Pep6 also significantly decreased the acquisition of CLas and sweet orange plants stably absorbed and maintained this peptide for as long as three months post the final application. Together, our results demonstrate the promising use of OmpA-derived peptides as a novel biotechnological tool to control CLas.

scholarly journals Draft Whole-Genome Sequence of “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” Strain TX2351 Isolated from Asian Citrus Psyllids in Texas, USA

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhurababu Kunta ◽  
Zheng Zheng ◽  
Fengnian Wu ◽  
John V. da Graca ◽  
Jong-Won Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
South Texas ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Rna Genes ◽  
Reading Frames

ABSTRACT We report here the draft genome sequence of “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” strain TX2351, collected from Asian citrus psyllids in south Texas, USA. The TX2351 genome has a size of 1,252,043 bp, a G+C content of 36.5%, 1,184 predicted open reading frames, and 52 RNA genes.

Prevalent transmission of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ over ‘Ca. Liberibacter americanus’ in a long-term controlled environment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cândida de Godoy Gasparoto ◽  
Isabela Vescove Primiano ◽  
Renato Bassanezi ◽  
Silvia Afonseca Lourenço ◽  
Luiz Montesino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sweet Orange ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Diaphorina Citri ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Citrus Huanglongbing ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Citrus Orchards ◽  
Test Plants

In Brazil, citrus huanglongbing (HLB) is associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter americanus’ (CLam) and ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas). However, there are few studies about HLB epidemiology when both Liberibacter spp. and its insect vector, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri), are present. The objective of this work was to compare the transmission of HLB by ACP when both CLam and CLas are present as primary inoculum. Two experiments were performed under screenhouse conditions from April 2008 to January 2012 (experiment 1) and from February 2011 to December 2015 (experiment 2). The experiments were carried out with sweet orange plants infected with CLam or CLas as inoculum source surrounded by sweet orange healthy plants. One hundred Liberibacter-free adult psyllids were monthly confined to the source of inoculum plants for 7 days with subsequent free movement inside the screenhouse. Fortnightly, nymphs and adults of psyllids were monitored. Psyllid and leaf samples were collected periodically for Liberibacter detection by PCR or qPCR. CLas was detected more frequently than CLam in both psyllid and leaf samples. No mixed infections were detected in the psyllids. A clear prevalence of CLas over CLam was observed in both experiments. The final HLB incidences were 16.7 and 14.5% of Liberibacter-positive test plants, and CLas was detected in 92.3 and 93.1% of these infected plants. Mixed infection was observed only in 3.8% of infected test plants in experiment 1. These results endorse the shift in the prevalence of CLam to CLas observed in citrus orchards of São Paulo, Brazil.

scholarly journals Transcriptome Profiling of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ in Citrus and Psyllids

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustina De Francesco ◽  
Amelia H. Lovelace ◽  
Dipan Shaw ◽  
Min Qiu ◽  
Yuanchao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Transcriptome Profiling ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Plant Host ◽  
Cell Wall Modification ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las) is an emergent bacterial pathogen that is associated with the devastating citrus huanglongbing (HLB). Vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid, Las colonizes the phloem tissue of citrus, causing severe damage to infected trees. So far, cultivating pure Las culture in axenic media has not been successful, and dual-transcriptome analyses aiming to profile gene expression in both Las and its hosts have a low coverage of the Las genome because of the low abundance of bacterial RNA in total RNA extracts from infected tissues. Therefore, a lack of understanding of the Las transcriptome remains a significant knowledge gap. Here, we used a bacterial cell enrichment procedure and confidently determined the expression profiles of approximately 84% of the Las genes. Genes that exhibited high expression in citrus include transporters, ferritin, outer membrane porins, specific pilins, and genes involved in phage-related functions, cell wall modification, and stress responses. We also found 106 genes to be differentially expressed in citrus versus Asian citrus psyllids. Genes related to transcription or translation and resilience to host defense response were upregulated in citrus, whereas genes involved in energy generation and the flagella system were expressed to higher levels in psyllids. Finally, we determined the relative expression levels of potential Sec-dependent effectors, which are considered as key virulence factors of Las. This work advances our understanding of HLB biology and offers novel insight into the interactions of Las with its plant host and insect vector.

scholarly journals Understanding Citrus Greening Disease and Its Possible Management Strategies in Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-234
Author(s):  
Sameer Pokhrel ◽  
Swikriti Pandey ◽  
Ashish Ghimire ◽  
Savyata Kandel
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Citrus Greening ◽  
Insect Vector ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Citrus Greening Disease ◽  
The World ◽  
Citrus Production ◽  
Candidatus Liberibacter ◽  
Liberibacter Asiaticus ◽  
Citrus Orchards

Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, is a devastating disease of citrus that has decimated several citrus orchards throughout the world. The disease is associated with three species of unculturable and phloem-limited bacteriae, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, Candidatus Liberibacter africanus and Candidatus Liberibacter americanus. The most common species of bacteria found in Nepal is Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus which is transmitted by an insect vector, Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri). This disease has been detected in several economically important citrus production areas of Nepal, which resulted in heavy yield loss. No cure for the disease has been discovered yet and it is essential to practice proper management strategies to maintain citrus health and sustain citrus production under HLB pressure. Several disease management approaches such as pathogen-free nursery establishment, use of disease tolerant rootstock cultivars, proper irrigation and nutrient supply, removal of HLB affected trees, and control of psyllid with frequent insecticide application are widely practiced throughout the world. This review article highlights the characteristics of the citrus greening disease and its insect vector and gives insights into their management techniques. Several technologically advanced options available to minimize the HLB infection might not be feasible currently in Nepal due to economic and topographic constraints. This article also aims to bring into focus the cost-effective methods that growers in Nepal can practice to mitigate the impact of HLB disease in their citrus orchards. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 9(4): 227-238.

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