Researchers at the University of California studied the role of the tree’s microbiome in the progression of citrus greening disease. They used amplicon technology to study the microbiome during the progression of HLB, and found that harmful microbes increased, while beneficial microbes decreased during the disease progression.
The increase of harmful microbes may in turn advance disease progression, as well as root decline. They also found that the trees that survived had a unique microbial profile, which led them to identify microbes that contributed to slower disease progression. The ideal is to establish a treatment plan for diseases like HLB that are microbe-mediated.
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Source:
https://www.eurekalert.org