Huanglongbing or yellow shoot, a disease of Gondwanan origin: Will it destroy citrus worldwide?

Abstract

JosephM. Bovewas born in Luxemburg, 1929. French citizen since 1968. Higher education: School of Agronomy and University, Paris, France (1950-1955), University of California, Berkeley (1956-1955). Doctorate on in vitro synthesis of plant viral RNA (1967). Researcher at the French Institute for Citrus and Tropical fruit Research (1959-1970) at Versailles, France. Director of research at INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research), at INRA campus of Bordeaux, France (1971-1975) and professor of microbiology at University of Bordeaux (1976-1997). Head of Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular Plant Biology (1974-1994). President of INRA-Bordeaux (19841994). FAO consultant for citrus diseases (1981-1993). Consultant at Fundecitrus, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, for graft-transmissible diseases of citrus (1998-2014). Research. (i) Photosynthetic phosphorylation, laboratory of Prof. D.I. Arnon, University of California at Berkeley (1956-1959). (ii) Replication of plant virus RNA, Versailles and Bordeaux (1959-1986). (iii) Discovery and study of pathogenic, phloem-restricted bacteria of citrus: Spiroplasma citri, agent of stubborn disease, Candidatus Liberibacter spp., associated with huanglongbing, Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia, associated with witches’ broom disease of lime, as well as of xylem-restricted bacteria: Xylella fastidiosa, agent of citrus variegated chlorosis (1969-1999). (iv) Etiology and management of citrus diseases in Brazil: Variegated chlorosis (1989-1993), Sudden Death (19982005), Huanglongbing 2005-2014). J.M. Bove is member of the French Academy of Agriculture (1992), corresponding member of the French Academy of Science (1993), member of the Brazilian Academy of Science (2002), Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society (1994), Fellow of the International Organization of Citrus Virologists (2004). Phytoparasitica DOI 10.1007/s12600-014-0415-4