Simulation and Evaluation of Heat Transfer Inside a Diseased Citrus Tree during Heat Treatment

Shirin Ghatrehsamani,John K Schueller,Reza Ehsani,Yiannis Ampatzidis

doi:10.3390/agriengineering3010002

Shirin Ghatrehsamani, John K Schueller + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering3010002

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Abstract

Heat treatment has been applied in previous studies to treat diseased plants and trees affected by heat-sensitive pathogens. Huanglongbing (HLB) is a heat-sensitive pathogen and the optimal temperature–time for treating HLB-affected citrus trees was estimated to be 54 °C for 60 to 120 s from indoor experimental studies. However, utilizing this method in orchards is difficult due to technical difficulties to effectively apply heat. Recently, a mobile thermotherapy system (MTS) was developed to in-field treat HLB-affected trees. This mobile device includes a canopy cover that covers the diseased tree and a system to supply steam under the cover to treat the tree. It was proven that the temperature inside the canopy cover can reach the desired one (i.e., 54 °C) to kill bacteria. However, for HLB, the heat should penetrate the tree’s phloem where the bacteria live. Therefore, measuring the heat penetration inside the tree is very critical to evaluate the performance of the MTS. In this study, a heat transfer model was developed to simulate the heat penetration inside the tree and predict the temperature in the phloem of the diseased tree during the in-field heat treatment. The simulation results were compared with in-field experimental measurements. The heat transfer model was developed by a comparative analysis of the experimental data using the ANSYS software. Results showed that the temperature in the phloem was 10–40% lower than the temperature near the surface of the bark. Simulation results were consistent with experimental results, with an average relative error of less than 5%.

Highlights

Chemical, biological, or physical treatments may be used to treat pests and plant diseases
It is caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), which is a phloem-limited and fastidious bacterium [4]
Evidence that thermotherapy can control Huanglongbing was first documented in China, where phenotypic symptoms of HLB were eliminated in budwood and seedlings after the material was exposed to moist, hot air of 49–50 ◦ C

Summary

Introduction

Biological, or physical treatments may be used to treat pests and plant diseases. Heat treatment is a type of physical treatment [1]. Heat can be used to treat some diseased plants by an optimal combination of time–temperature treatment [2]. When dealing with propagation materials or other perishable plant parts, thermotherapy can show a range of effectiveness depending on the pathogen, the method of delivery, and the part of the plant being treated [3]. Evidence that thermotherapy can control Huanglongbing was first documented in China, where phenotypic symptoms of HLB were eliminated in budwood and seedlings after the material was exposed to moist, hot air of 49–50 ◦ C for 50–60 min [5,6]. HLB-affected citrus trees treated with heat displayed significantly improved vigorous growth [3].

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