Homobrassinolide Delays Huanglongbing Progression in Newly Planted Citrus (Citrus sinensis) Trees

Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, is a devastating disease impacting citrus trees worldwide, with severe effects particularly noted in Florida. Current strategies to combat HLB focus on aggressive replanting, despite the high susceptibility of young trees to infection. In this context, it...

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Autores principales: Pérez-Hedo, Mertixell, Urbaneja, Alberto, Alférez, Fernando
Formato: article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: MDPI 2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/8866
https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/9/1229
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author Pérez-Hedo, Mertixell
Urbaneja, Alberto
Alférez, Fernando
author_browse Alférez, Fernando
Pérez-Hedo, Mertixell
Urbaneja, Alberto
author_facet Pérez-Hedo, Mertixell
Urbaneja, Alberto
Alférez, Fernando
author_sort Pérez-Hedo, Mertixell
collection ReDivia
description Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, is a devastating disease impacting citrus trees worldwide, with severe effects particularly noted in Florida. Current strategies to combat HLB focus on aggressive replanting, despite the high susceptibility of young trees to infection. In this context, it is critical to explore agronomic practices that can enhance the health and resistance of young citrus trees to HLB. Here, we demonstrate that treatment with homobrassinolide (HBr), a type of brassinosteroid, in newly planted citrus (Citrus sinensis) trees can delay HLB infection and improve tree health amidst the high psyllid pressure conditions endemic to Florida. Our study reveals a significant reduction in HLB infection rates in HBr-treated trees compared to control trees, with only 25% of treated trees testing positive for HLB by six months, in contrast to 100% infection in untreated trees. This delay in infection may be attributed to HBr inducing an immune response and negatively impacting psyllid performance, as subsequently demonstrated in a greenhouse experiment. Our findings suggest that HBr applications could serve as a viable strategy to enhance the resilience of citrus production against HLB, underscoring the need for further investigation into their mechanisms of action and potential role in a comprehensive pest and disease management strategy.
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spelling ReDivia88662025-04-25T14:49:34Z Homobrassinolide Delays Huanglongbing Progression in Newly Planted Citrus (Citrus sinensis) Trees Pérez-Hedo, Mertixell Urbaneja, Alberto Alférez, Fernando Citrus greening Inmune response Infection rates H20 Plant diseases Brassinosteroids Diaphorina citri Plant health Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, is a devastating disease impacting citrus trees worldwide, with severe effects particularly noted in Florida. Current strategies to combat HLB focus on aggressive replanting, despite the high susceptibility of young trees to infection. In this context, it is critical to explore agronomic practices that can enhance the health and resistance of young citrus trees to HLB. Here, we demonstrate that treatment with homobrassinolide (HBr), a type of brassinosteroid, in newly planted citrus (Citrus sinensis) trees can delay HLB infection and improve tree health amidst the high psyllid pressure conditions endemic to Florida. Our study reveals a significant reduction in HLB infection rates in HBr-treated trees compared to control trees, with only 25% of treated trees testing positive for HLB by six months, in contrast to 100% infection in untreated trees. This delay in infection may be attributed to HBr inducing an immune response and negatively impacting psyllid performance, as subsequently demonstrated in a greenhouse experiment. Our findings suggest that HBr applications could serve as a viable strategy to enhance the resilience of citrus production against HLB, underscoring the need for further investigation into their mechanisms of action and potential role in a comprehensive pest and disease management strategy. 2024-05-02T08:46:53Z 2024-05-02T08:46:53Z 2024 article publishedVersion Pérez-Hedo, M., Urbaneja, A., & Alférez, F. (2024). Homobrassinolide Delays Huanglongbing Progression in Newly Planted Citrus (Citrus sinensis) Trees. Plants, 13(9), 1229. 2223-7747 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/8866 10.3390/plants13091229 https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/9/1229 en This research was partially supported by grants from the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF, project 22-003) and USDA NIFA SCRI, project 2022-70029-38481; by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, MINECO (PID2020-113234RR-I00); and by the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research from the Valencian Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (project “Sostenible” IVIA-52202F, which is eligible for co-financing by the European Union through the ERDF Operational Program). M.P.-H. and A.U. were the recipients of a research fellowship for the Mobility Stays Program, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities (CAS21/00544 and PRX21/00719, respectively). Both fellows were included in the FULBRIGHT program 2022. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/AEI/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2017-2020/PID2020-113234RR-I00/ES/EXPOSICION A VOLATILES INDUCIDOS POR PLANTAS: UNA VIA SOSTENIBLE DE MANEJO DE PLAGAS Y ENFERMEDADES A TRAVES DE LA INDUCCION DEFENSIVA DE LAS PLANTAS info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ERDF/PCV 2021-2027/52202/ES/Control biológico de plagas y enfermedades como pieza clave en el impulso de la Sostenibilidad de los cultivos agrarios de la Comunidad Valenciana/SOSTENIBLE Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ openAccess MDPI electronico
spellingShingle Citrus greening
Inmune response
Infection rates
H20 Plant diseases
Brassinosteroids
Diaphorina citri
Plant health
Pérez-Hedo, Mertixell
Urbaneja, Alberto
Alférez, Fernando
Homobrassinolide Delays Huanglongbing Progression in Newly Planted Citrus (Citrus sinensis) Trees
title Homobrassinolide Delays Huanglongbing Progression in Newly Planted Citrus (Citrus sinensis) Trees
title_full Homobrassinolide Delays Huanglongbing Progression in Newly Planted Citrus (Citrus sinensis) Trees
title_fullStr Homobrassinolide Delays Huanglongbing Progression in Newly Planted Citrus (Citrus sinensis) Trees
title_full_unstemmed Homobrassinolide Delays Huanglongbing Progression in Newly Planted Citrus (Citrus sinensis) Trees
title_short Homobrassinolide Delays Huanglongbing Progression in Newly Planted Citrus (Citrus sinensis) Trees
title_sort homobrassinolide delays huanglongbing progression in newly planted citrus citrus sinensis trees
topic Citrus greening
Inmune response
Infection rates
H20 Plant diseases
Brassinosteroids
Diaphorina citri
Plant health
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/8866
https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/9/1229
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