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Citrus "Greening" or "Huanglongbing" disease spreads beyond Florida to Louisiana.

- USDA APHIS


www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/citrus_greening/
13 June, 2008




Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) or citrus "greening" disease is caused by phloem-limited, uncultured bacteria in the genus Candidatus Liberibacter. HLB is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus worldwide (1), and is considered so dangerous to U.S. citrus production that the USDA has listed two Candidatus Liberibacter species as Select Agents, or potential bioterrorist agents (2).


HLB is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri, which was intercepted 40 times by APHIS/PPQ at U.S. ports between 1985-1998, and became established in Florida by 1998 (3). D. citri more recently become established in Texas (4). HLB first was detected in the U.S. near Miami, Florida in August 2005, and to date has been confirmed to have spread to 22 Florida counties and most recently to Louisiana.

1. Coletta-Filho, HD, Takita, MA, Targon, MLPN and Machado, MA. 2005. Analysis of 16S rDNA Sequences from Citrus Huanglongbing Bacteria Reveal a Different Ca. Liberibacter Strain Associated with Citrus Disease in São Paulo. Plant Disease 89:848-852.

2. www.aphis.usda.gov/programs/ag_selectagent/ag_bioterr_toxinslist.html

3. Halbert, S. E. and K. L. Manjunath. 2004. Asian citrus psyllids (Sternorrhyncha: Psyllidae) and greening disease of citrus: A literature review and assessment of risk in Florida. Florida Entomol. 87: 330-353.

4. French, J.V., Kahlke, C.J. and J. V. da Graça. 2001. First Record of the Asian Citrus Psylla, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Homoptera:Psyllidae), in Texas. Subtropical Plant Science, 53: 14-15.

5. Li, T. and Ke, C.. 2002 Detection of the bearing rate of Liberibacter asiaticum in citrus psylla and its host plant Murraya puniculata by nested PCR. Acta Phytophylacica Sinica 29:31-35,





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