The effect of irrigation practices on the spatio-temporal increase of Asiatic citrus canker in simulated nursery plots in Reunion Island

Abstract

Asiatic citrus canker is a potentially severe disease of several citrus species and cultivars in many tropical and subtropical areas. In such areas, infected nursery plants constitute an important source of primary inoculum for newly established citrus groves. The influence of overhead, drip, and mist irrigation systems on the development of Asiatic citrus canker was studied in simulated, Mexican-lime nurseries in Reunion Island. Overhead irrigation exacerbated the increase of disease incidence and severity caused by a streptomycin-resistant strain of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri. The temporal development of Asiatic citrus canker for overhead irrigated nursery plots was best described by an exponential model, because disease incidence in these plots did not come close to an asymptote during the experimental period. This can be explained by the continuous production of new growth, susceptible to infection by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, and splash dispersal of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri associated with overhead irrigation. Based on spatial correlation and spatio-temporal analyses, aggregated disease patterns were found irrespective of the irrigation system. In overhead-irrigated plots, the spread of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri lacked directionnality. Rainstorms of short duration and high intensity were apparently associated with disease increase in drip-irrigated plots. There is a need to improve cultivation practices in Reunion Island citrus nurseries to minimize Asiatic citrus canker incidence in nurseries and to minimize the introduction of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri to new groves.