Photo by Megan Dewdney, University of Florida
Citrus black spot (CBS) is a constant concern for producers in northern Argentina, causing premature fall of affected fruit and aesthetic damage that reduces commercial value. Researchers at the National Agricultural Technology Institute in Yuto, Argentina (INTA Yuto) are working on rapid detection of the disease. Their work is based on a protocol that focuses on the location of the fungus, which allows highly sensitive and precise identification of the pathogen.
“The main objective of this protocol is to provide the citrus industry with an effective and reliable tool for the rapid diagnosis of this devastating disease,” said Ceferino Flores, researcher at INTA Yuto. “We seek to avoid commercial losses at the time of export and protect the quality of our crops.”
The Phytopathology and Biotechnology Laboratories of INTA Yuto are key to the diagnosis of CBS in fruit, accelerating the export process and providing security to producers and exporters. This achievement represents an important milestone in the fight against this disease and in the protection of the Argentine citrus industry. It’s the only laboratory enabled to carry out diagnoses using this technique in Salta and Jujuy.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a diagnostic test that detects a fragment of the genetic material of a pathogen, allowing detection of its presence in infected fruit.
“The technique used for black spot is a real-time PCR which, in addition to detecting an agent causing an infection, informs us about the number of causing agents that exist; that is, it performs a quantification,” Flores said. “The detection is based on a protocol that focuses on the localization of the fungus using primers and probes.”
CBS is also found in parts of Florida, especially the southwest part of the state. CBS quarantines were expanded in Florida earlier this year; learn more here.
Source: National Agricultural Technology Institute
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