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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Plant Pathology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #305762
Title: Citrus diseases with global ramifications including citrus canker and huanglongbing

Author
item Gottwald, Timothy
item GRAHAM, JAMES - University Of Florida

Submitted to: CAB Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/11/2014
Publication Date: 9/5/2014
Citation: Gottwald, T.R., Graham, J.H. 2014. Citrus diseases with global ramifications including citrus canker and huanglongbing. CAB Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources. 9:016.

Interpretive Summary: This was an invited review article by CAB Reviews, an international scientific journal. As the title of the article implies we examine the global implications of citrus canker and citrus huanglongbing (citrus greening) including the prognosis into the future. We discussed the migration of both diseases into the Western hemisphere where the largest citrus production areas in the world inside. We describe the diseases under etiology, discuss the costs of production in the presence of these diseases, the complexities of attempting disease control, and the implications of the diseases on decreasing yield and how they affect international marketing of citrus as a commodity. Trade restrictions due to citrus canker continue to increase greatly affecting market access especially by countries or multi-country areas which do not currently have the disease. Economic losses because of his trade restrictions can be highly detrimental to citrus producing countries trying to live with citrus canker. Citrus huanglongbing does not currently affect international trade of fresh citrus fruit but causes severe crop losses and general citrus production industry decline. Huanglongbing is jeopardizing the survival of some industries such as those in Florida and Texas which if solutions to how to live with this disease are not quickly forthcoming, may have tremendous negative impact. This review publication should be of use to researchers, regulatory agencies, and stakeholders.

Technical Abstract: Although there are a number of diseases that plague citrus production worldwide, two bacterial diseases are particularly problematic. Both are of Asian origin and currently cause severe economic damage: Asiatic citrus canker (ACC) and citrus huanglongbing (HLB). Although ACC has been found in the Western Hemisphere since the early 1900s, HLB was only discovered in 2004. ACC causes foliar, fruit, and twig lesions that reduce marketability, can result in significant crop loss, and restrict international trade with areas where the disease has not yet been introduced or become endemic. While ACC has been the impetus for eradication programs in several countries, only those conducted to combat limited outbreaks have been successful. The costs for ‘living with ACC’ in Florida including additional bactericidal sprays and quarantine inspections for fresh fruit range from 10-20% depending on cultivar susceptibility and market destination of the fruit. By comparison citrus HLB, the most severe of all known citrus diseases has increased production costs by 50-60%. The disease is vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid and was first recognized in India about 150 years ago. HLB has spread throughout most of the citrus producing areas of the world with the exception of the Mediterranean. Worldwide, nowhere that HLB exists, is it under adequate control. Extensive research is underway especially in the newly infected Western hemisphere countries in an attempt to discover and deploy effective control measures for HLB. The presence of these diseases poses an imminent threat of economic survival for affected citrus industries.