First report of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ in Iran
In Iran, Diaphorina citri (EPPO A1 List) the psyllid vector of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (associated with citrus huanglongbing – EPPO A1 List) was first detected in December 1997 in an area close to the border with Pakistan. Since then, high populations of D. citri have been found in citrus plantations of Hormozgan and Kerman provinces in Southern Iran. Citrus trees in this region showed typical symptoms of huanglongbing including mottling of leaves and yellowing of shoots. Leaf samples were collected from 20 symptomatic and 20 symptomless Valencia sweet orange trees (Citrus sinensis) and more than 50 psyllid samples were collected from various locations in Sistan-Baluchistan and Hormozgan provinces. Molecular tests (nested-PCR, sequencing) confirmed the presence of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ in 5 out of 20 symptomatic leaf samples and in 26 out of 50 psyllid samples. This is the first report of citrus huanglongbing in Iran. It is noted that the disease appears to be widely distributed in citrus-growing regions of Southern Iran and that it probably plays a role in the citrus decline observed in this area.
The situation of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ in Iran can be described as follows: Present, first reported in 2008, detected on Citrus sinensis in Southern Iran.
Sources
Faghihi MM, Salehi M, Bagheri A, Izadpanah K (2008) First report of citrus huanglongbing disease on orange in Iran. New Disease Reports vol. 18 (August 2008 to January 2009). http://www.bspp.org.uk/publications/new-disease-reports/ndr.php?id=018042