Abstract
Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most catastrophic citrus diseases. HLB pathogens Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las), Ca. L. africanus (Laf), and Ca. L. americanus (Lam) and their insect vectors Asian citrus psyllids (ACP, Diaphorina citri) and African citrus psyllids (AfCP, Trioza erytreae) are invading citrus producing regions where HLB was absent previously, including the Mediterranean basin. Importantly, the Mediterranean region is one of the two major citrus producing areas without HLB. Here, I provide a short perspective regarding a) information related to the distribution of the HLB pathogens and psyllid vectors in this region and neighboring countries, b) predicted distribution of the HLB for this region, c) the possible evolution of Liberibacters and how they could have established their relationship with different hosts, and d) approaches to fend off HLB. Specifically, I emphasized the following measurements: quarantine measures against AfCP, ACP, Las, Laf, and Lam, early detection and diagnosis of HLB and removal of inoculum, surveillance of AfCP and ACP and eradication of citrus psyllids once identified.
Highlights
Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most catastrophic citrus diseases
Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) and L. americanus (Lam) are naturally transmitted by Asian citrus psyllids (ACP, Diaphorina citri) and L. africanus (Laf) by African citrus psyllids (AfCP, Trioza erytreae)
The authors suggested that both Las and ACP have the capacity to invade all of the citrus growing regions of the Mediterranean Basin
Summary
Las and ACP were reported in the neighboring countries of the Mediterranean Basin: Iran (Faghih et al 2009) and Saudi Arabia (Bové 2006). Las and ACP were reported in several African countries that are not adjacent to the Mediterranean Basin: Tanzania (Shimwela et al 2016) and. ACP but not Las is present in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Both Laf and AfCP are present in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Réunion, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. HLB and its vectors present an immediate threat to the citrus industry of the Mediterranean Basin, echoing the concerns by many esteemed European colleagues (Aubert 2011; Bové 2014; Duran-Vila et al 2014; Janse 2012; Siverio et al 2017)
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