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Assessments of the resistance of citrus germplasm to huanglongbing (HLB) can be expedited by inoculating plants under laboratory or greenhouse settings with the HLB bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). Consistent rapid screening is critical to efficiently assess disease resistance among plant materials; however, a number of factors may govern the efficacy of such inoculations. Despite the rapidity at which HLB can spread in a grove, it often takes 8 to 10 months for high levels of CLas and HLB symptoms to develop even in highly susceptible sweet orange. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to assess factors that might influence efficiency in screening for HLB resistance. In one experiment, three test citrus genotypes ('Kuharske', previously shown to be HLB resistant; rough lemon, previously shown to be HLB tolerant; and 'Valencia', HLB susceptible) were bud grafted using CLas-infected buds from four different source genotypes. All bud source genotypes had similar levels of CLas titer, but citron, rough lemon, and Volkamer lemon were hypothesized to be better bud inoculum sources as they are more tolerant of HLB than 'Valencia'. Among the three test genotypes over all sources of infected buds, inoculations of 'Kuharske' resulted in lower CLas titers and fewer HLB symptoms than inoculations of rough lemon or 'Valencia'. Inoculations of rough lemon resulted in higher CLas titers and more pronounced HLB symptoms when it was inoculated using infected buds from rough lemon or 'Valencia'. Grafting 'Valencia' with infected buds from Volkamer lemon resulted in less disease than when 'Valencia' was grafted with infected citron, rough lemon, or 'Valencia' buds. Overall, these results suggest that the source of CLas-infected buds used to graftinoculate some genotypes will influence disease development. Trunk cross-sectional area increase for the year following infection was 33 higher in 'Kuharske' and rough lemon, compared with 'Valencia'. 'Kuharske' had very low levels of CLas (30 CLas/µg DNA), whereas 'Valencia' (43,000 CLas/µg DNA) and rough lemon (6700 CLas/ µg DNA) had relatively high levels. As an alternative to graft-inoculating plants with CLas-infected buds, plants can be subjected to infestations of CLas-infected Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) as occurs naturally. Of interest is if transmission rates of CLas and the development of HLB in a genotype are greater when the ACP have been feeding on the same host genotype. An experiment was therefore conducted to assess transmission of CLas by ACP reared on CLas-infected rough lemon to five different genotypes ('Carrizo', 'Flame' grapefruit, rough lemon, 'Temple', and 'Valencia'). These assessments were made using a detached leaf assay recognized as a faster method of gauging transmission rates of CLas than using whole plants. Higher percentages of ACP died when they were transferred from infected rough lemon to healthy 'Carrizo', and lower percentages died when they were transferred to rough lemon or 'Flame'. However, CLas transmission by infected ACP occurred to at least some leaves of each genotype in each of the five different assays, with 70% or more leaves of each genotype becoming infected in at least one assay. Over all assays, there was relatively little variation among genotypes in the percentage of leaves becoming CLas infected and in the titer of CLas developing in infected leaves. However, there were relatively large differences in transmission rates among individual assays unrelated to differences among test genotypes. Because of the rapidity of the detached leaf assay, efforts are merited to improve consistency of this inoculation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asiatic huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating disease of citrus associated in North America with the bacterium 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (LAS) vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. ACP management is considered a vital component of a program aimed at reducing the incidence and spread of HLB. Considerable research has been published comparing the efficacy of different insecticides for ACP control as well as on seasonal strategies for applying ACP insecticides. However, published information was largely lacking for even the most intense insecticide programs on their effectiveness for keeping HLB out of a new citrus planting in Florida citrus. We therefore conducted two replicated (individual plots 0.2 to 0.4 ha in size) experiments on protecting young citrus from HLB using different ACP management programs. An intensive insecticide program was evaluated in each experiment: eight annual calendar applications of traditional insecticides (hereafter referred to as the "complete" program). In one experiment, citrus was either planted alone and subjected to the complete program or citrus was interplanted with orange jasmine, Murraya exotica L. (a favored ACP host plant) and subjected to a reduced insecticide program (four calendar sprays of traditional insecticides). There was one set of plots in which both jasmine and citrus were treated with insecticides and one set in which jasmine was not treated at all. In the second experiment, citrus was either subjected to the complete program or to one of two other programs: a reduced insecticide program consisting of five calendar applications of traditional insecticides or a mineral oil program (oil applications every 3 weeks plus one dormant insecticide spray). The results of the two experiments were similar. Relatively good ACP control was achieved under each ACP management program during the first year but, as the experiments progressed and trees increased in size, ACP outbreaks occurred regardless of the psyllid management program. Little HLB developed under any ACP management program during the first year, but thereafter HLB increased and large percentages of the trees in each experiment became LAS-infected in less than two to three years. The combined results of the experiments indicated that up to eight monthly pesticide treatments per year applied on a calendar schedule were ineffective for preventing young citrus from becoming diseased. Of important significance is that the orchard within which the two experiments were conducted was subjected to a minimal psyllid management program and contained many older trees known to be infected by the HLB pathogen, a challenging situation for getting young trees into production without contracting the disease. Thus, the ACP management programs we evaluated might have been more effective if ACP in the surrounding areas had been more aggressively controlled and diseased trees in the surrounding areas removed to reduce inoculum loads. Also, the programs might have been more effective for slowing the spread of HLB if our research plots had been larger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic traits in Poncirus trifoliata (Rutaceae) are known to confer resistance to colonization by the Asian citrus psyllid, but field surveys indicated these traits were not expressed in any of 24 simple hybrids between P. trifoliata and sweet orange. No resistance to colonization by the psyllid was observed in 14 other types of P. trifoliata hybrids. Three citrumelo hybrids appeared to be resistant in 1 survey, but in another survey, none of 6 citrumelos exhibited resistance. Interestingly, colonization was somewhat reduced on a hybrid with P. trifoliata in the pedigree of both parents, suggesting the possibility that traits suppressing oviposition may be recovered through similar crosses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]