An Iranian study in controlled greenhouse conditions has enhanced the understanding of the influence of rootstocks on limes infected with witches’ broom disease of lime (WBDL). The study has also led to the acknowledgement that WBDL management may require tolerance of both scions and rootstocks.
Authors of an article about the study are Samaneh Raheb, Sina Noorizadeh and Morteza Golmohammadi, all with the Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization in Iran, and Hamed Hassanzadeh Khankahdani with the Agricultural Organization of Fars Province in Iran.
A summary of the article is as follows:
Over the past two decades, Mexican lime orchards in southern Iran have faced a significant threat from WBDL. The disease, associated with Candidatus Phytoplasma (Ca. P.) aurantifolia, has led to the ruin of many orchards.
One effective strategy for controlling vector-borne diseases like WBDL is to find and use tolerance/resistance genotypes. A number of studies have shown that using tolerant cultivars, rootstocks or scion/rootstock combinations may affect phytoplasma disease severity. However, no studies have compared different Mexican lime genotypes/rootstock combinations against Ca. P. aurantifolia infection.
This study assessed the tolerance and response of four Mexican lime genotypes (G5, G8, G16 and G17) grafted on two commercial rootstocks (Mexican lime and sour orange) against WBDL under controlled conditions.
The results showed that foliar disease expression was observed in all limes grafted on Mexican lime. Disease symptoms were not recorded in lime genotypes on sour orange, except G5.
All lime genotypes grafted on the two commercial citrus rootstocks were infected with Ca. P. aurantifolia at varying rates. However, in the three genotypes grafted on sour orange rootstock, the phytoplasma titer was significantly reduced. Furthermore, growth parameters, including leaf width and length, internode length and greenness, showed fewer significant differences compared to the control.
See the full article about the study: The influence of citrus rootstocks on lime genotype tolerance to witches’ broom disease.
Source: Nature Portfolio
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