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Title: CITRUS AND COFFEE STRAINS OF XYELLA FASTIDIOSA INDUCE PIERCE'S DISEASE IN GRAPEVINE

Author
item LI, WENBIN - VISITING SCI - FL
item ZHOU, CHANGHE - HUAZHONG UNIV CHINA
item PRIA, JR., W. - FUNDECITRUS - BRAZIL
item TEIXEIRA, D. - FUNDECITRUS - BRAZIL
item MIRANDA, V. - FUNDECITRUS - BRAZIL
item PEREIRA, E. - FUNDECITRUS - BRAZIL
item AYRES, A. - FUNDECITRUS - BRAZIL
item HE, C.-X - FUNDECITRUS - BRAZIL
item COSTA, P. - FUNDECITRUS - BRAZIL
item Hartung, John

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/28/2002
Publication Date: 10/1/2002
Citation: Li, W., Zhou, C., Pria, Jr., W.D., Teixeira, D.C., Miranda, V.S., Pereira, E.O., Ayres, A.J., He, C., Costa, P.I., Hartung, J.S. 2002. Citrus and coffee strains of xyella fastidiosa induce pierce's disease in grapevine. Plant Disease.

Interpretive Summary: Xylella fastidiosa causes Citrus Variegated Chlorosis Disease in Brazil and Pierce¿s Disease of grapevines in the United States. Both of these diseases cause significant production problems in their respective industries. The recent establishment of the glassy-winged sharpshooter in California has radically increased the threat posed by Pierce¿s Disease to California viticulture. However, until now it has not been known if the citrus strains of X. fastidiosa could also infect grapevine and cause disease. We now show, by experimental inoculation, that the citrus strain of the pathogen can also infect grapevine, and produce symptoms that are indistinguishable from those of authentic Pierce¿s Disease. This is surprising because the two strains are quite distinct genetically. Our results suggest that an inadvertent introduction of the citrus strain of this pathogen into California would threaten both the grapevine and citrus industries there. It is interesting to note that the grapevine strains of the pathogen apparently can not induce Citrus Variegated Chlorosis disease, because citrus has been grown on a large scale for more than a century in both California and Florida in the presence of Pierce¿s Disease of grapevine, and the citrus disease has never been reported. The importance of these diseases to their respective industries has led to full genome sequencing projects of both the citrus and grapevine strains of the pathogen. Our results show that grapevines can serve as a convenient experimental host for the analysis of the mechanisms that the pathogen uses to cause disease in the host plant, using the full genome sequence data. This is important to the citrus community because citrus is a very poor experimental host for X. fastidiosa. Our results are therefore of immediate interest to the scientific and regulatory community interested in both Citrus Variegated Chlorosis and Pierce¿s Disease, and in the longer term to producers of both citrus and grapevines.

Technical Abstract: Xylella fastidiosa causes Citrus Variegated Chlorosis Disease in Brazil and Pierce¿s Disease of grapevines in the United States. Both of these diseases cause significant production problems in the respective industries. The recent establishment of the glassy-winged sharpshooter in California has radically increased the threat posed by Pierce¿s Disease to California viticulture. Populations of this insect reach very high levels in citrus groves in California, and move from the orchards into the vineyards, where they acquire inoculum and spread Pierce¿s Disease in the vineyards. We now show that strains of Xylella fastidiosa isolated from diseased citrus and coffee in Brazil can incite symptoms of Pierce¿s Disease after mechanical inoculation into seven commercial Vitis vinifera L varieties grown in Brazil and California. Thus any future introduction of the CVC strains of X. fastidiosa into the United States would pose a grave threat to both the citrus and grapevine industries. Previous work has clearly shown that the strains of X. fastidiosa isolated from Pierce¿s Disease and Citrus Variegated Chlorosis affected plants are the most distantly related of all strains in the diverse taxon X. fastidiosa. The ability of citrus strains of X. fastidiosa to incite disease in grapevine is therefore surprising, and creates an experimental system with which to dissect mechanisms used by X. fastidiosa in plant colonization and disease development. This discovery will also facilitate the analysis of pathogenicity related genes in this organism using the full genome sequence data that has recently become available for both the citrus and grapevine strains of this pathogen.