Witches broom disease of lime

Other Title(s)

مرض مكنسة الساحرة لأشجار اللايم

Joint Authors

Bove, J. M.
Garnier, Monique

Source

مجلة وقاية النبات العربية

Publisher

Arab Society for Plant Protection

Publication Date

2000-12-31

Country of Publication

Lebanon

No. of Pages

5

Main Subjects

Botany
Agriculture

English Abstract

Witches' broom disease of lime (Cirrus aurantifolia) (WBDL) is caused by Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia.

The WBDL phytoplasma is closely related to the phytoplasmas of alfalfa, sesame, and sunhemp phyllodies.

WBDL was first described m the Sultanate of Oman where thousands of lime trees were killed since the 1980s.

It was seen in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1989.

and by 1993 all regions were affected As predicted, the disease was reported next in Southeast Iran inl997.

but must have been there, many years before.

Finally, witches' broom was reported as a new disease of lime in the Nagpur region of India in 1999.

Monoclonal antibodies and PCR primers for 16S rDNA amplification have been obtained for the Omani phytoplasma.

These Omani-specific reagents detect equally well the WBDL- phytoplasma from the Emirates and Iran.

Wether the Nagpur phytoplasma 3lso reacts with these reagents could not yet be studied.

Natural spread of WBDL is very fast.

A putative leafhopper vector, Hishimonus phycitis.

multiplying actively on lime trees, was identified in 1991 in Oman and found to be 3lso present in the UAE inl993 and in Iran in 1997.

The leafhopper is well known in India.

Even though H phycitis appears as ’he most likely vector of ’he W3DL 3gent.

experimental transmissions have so far been unsuccessful.

The most severely and widely affected species is small fruited acid lime (C.

aurannfoha).

However, in the UAE, sweet limes (Citrus limerta.

Citrus Imemodes) showed severe symptoms In the field, sweet orange, mandarin and grapefruit trees have never shown symptoms and were free of the WBDL agent.

In ’he greenhouse, these species did not become infected following graft inoculation with infected lime shoots.

Control is by prevention Affected trees are easily spotted on the basis of their characteristic witches' brooms.

Specific reagents are available to confirm visual diagnosis Symptomatic trees must be removed.

Finally, the ongin of W3DL.

a relatively new disease of citrus, will be discussed.

Data Type

Conference Papers

Record ID

BIM-968510

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