25 Jun 2024
Huanglongbing infected orange trees

Identification of citrus greening based on visual symptoms: A grower’s diagnostic toolkit

Citrus greening is one of the world’s most serious diseases of citrus that affects all cultivars and causes the systematic death of trees worldwide. The disease is caused mostly by the bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter species. The wind, rain, and touch of infected workers cannot transmit this infectious disease. The Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), a minuscule insect, is one of the main vectors that transmit the disease by feeding on citrus leaves. Citrus greening management is also quite expensive since no successful treatment for the cure has been found, except to remove all affected vegetables from healthy crops to eliminate the bacterial spread.

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25 May 2021
HLB-antimicrobial peptide

A stable antimicrobial peptide with dual functions of treating and preventing citrus Huanglongbing

Researchers at the University of California have identified stable antimicrobial peptides (SAMPs) that can help to control the spread of Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease. These peptides work in two ways: They inhibit the growth of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) – the bacterium causing the disease – in trees that are HLB-positive and it helps to induce immunity in healthy trees.

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