Several economically important diseases of unknown or recently determined cause are reviewed. Citrus blight (CB), first described over 100 years ago, was shown in 1984 to be transmitted by root-graft inoculations; the cause remains unknown and is controversial. Based on graft transmission, it is considered to be an infectious agent by some; others suggest that the cause of CB is abiotic. Citrus variegated chlorosis, although probably long present in Argentina, where it was considered to be a variant of CB, was identified as a specific disease and shown to be caused by a strain of Xylella fastidiosa after if reached epidemic levels in Brazil in 1987. Citrus psorosis, described in 1933 as the first virus disease of citrus, is perhaps one of the last to be characterized. In 1988, it was shown to be caused by a very unusual virus. The cause of lettuce big vein appears to be a viruslike agent that is transmitted by a soilborne fungus. Double-stranded RNAs were associated with the disease, suggesting it may be caused by an unidentified RNA virus. Rio Grande gummosis, dry rot root, peach tree short life, and some replant diseases may be diseases of complex etiology. Various microorganisms have been isolated from trees with these diseases, but the diseases may be attributable in part to environmental factors. Determination of the cause of these diseases of complex etiology has proven difficult, in part, because they affect only mature trees.
According to published reports from 1906 to 1968, leprosis nearly destroyed the Florida citrus industry prior to 1925. This was supported with photographs showing typical leprosis symptoms on citrus leaves, fruit, and twigs. Support for the past occurrence of citrus leprosis in Florida includes: (1) presence of twig lesions in affected orange blocks in addition to lesions on fruits and leaves and corresponding absence of similar lesions on grapefruit; (2) yield reduction and die-back on infected trees; and (3) spread of the disease between 1906 and 1925. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examination of tissue samples from leprosis-like injuries to orange and grapefruit leaves from Florida in 1997, and fruits from grapefruit and sweet orange varieties from Texas in 1999 and 2000 did not contain leprosis-like viral particles or viroplasm inclusions. In contrast, leprosis viroplasm inclusions were readily identified by TEM within green non-senescent tissues surrounding leprosis lesions in two of every three orange leaf samples and half of the fruit samples obtained from Piracicaba, Brazil. Symptoms of leprosis were not seen in any of the 24,555 orange trees examined across Florida during 2001 and 2002. The authors conclude that citrus leprosis no longer exists in Florida nor occurs in Texas citrus based on: (1) lack of leprosis symptoms on leaves, fruit, and twigs of sweet orange citrus varieties surveyed in Florida: (2) failure to find virus particles or viroplasm inclusion bodies in suspect samples from both Florida and Texas examined by TEM; (3) absence of documented reports by others on the presence of characteristic leprosis symptoms in Florida; (4) lack of its documented occurrence in dooryard trees or abandoned or minimal pesticide citrus orchard sites in Florida. In view of the serious threat to citrus in the U.S., every effort must be taken to quarantine the importation of both citrus and woody ornamental plants that serve as hosts for Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes), B. californicus (Banks), and B. obovatus Donnadieu (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from countries where citrus leprosis occurs.
Polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNA from various strains of Xylella fastidiosa with tRNA consensus primers produced three different fingerprint groups. The citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) and mulberry leaf scorch strains were unique and readily separated from each other and all other strains tested. Internal primers were designed based on the sequence of a DNA fragment unique to the CVC strain. An assay was developed with a mixture of these primers and those reported to detect 18 strains of X. fastidiosa. The assay was used to survey citrus in Brazil. The strain identified to be the cause of CVC was found in constant association with trees with CVC symptoms. On occasion, trees with no symptoms were found to have the CVC strain; this was presumably due to presymptomatic infections. No other strains were found in this survey, and X. fastidiosa was not associated with citrus blight.
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