Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research
Project Number: 8044-22000-052-011-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2023
End Date: Jul 1, 2024
Objective:
The objectives of this project are to:
1) Evaluate oomycete communities, especially Phytopythium spp., from Florida citrus grove soils and associate these with levels of the citrus greening pathogen, foliar disease, and root disease and,
2) Isolate Phytopythium spp., if identified from samples, and begin initial characterizations.
Approach:
We will document citrus oomycetes in Florida and relate them to levels of the citrus greening pathogen in roots; the project team will sample citrus groves; quantify HLB levels in samples; and use next-generation sequencing to identify oomycetes to species. If found, oomycetes new to U.S. citrus production will be tested for their ability to cause citrus disease in greenhouse trials.