Skip to main content
APS Plant Health 2025 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.

POSTERS: Cultural Control I

P-607 - Potential of Australian finger lime (Citrus australasica) derived hybrid interstocks for sustainable management of huanglongbing in citrus

Monday, August 4, 2025
3:45 PM - 4:30 PM HST
Location: Exhibit Hall 3
Abstract Text: Huanglongbing (HLB), caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), threatens global citrus production, causing severe economic losses. Sustainable management strategies are urgently needed, as conventional methods like insecticides and oxytetracycline trunk injections provide only temporary relief. The Australian finger lime (Citrus australasica) exhibits HLB tolerance, potentially due to antimicrobial peptides such as the stable antimicrobial peptide (SAMP) and CaCAP2, which may reduce CLas titers and activate plant immune responses. In this study, C. australasica-derived F1 hybrids were evaluated as interstocks between Swingle rootstock and ‘Valencia’ sweet orange (Citrus x sinensis) scion to determine their potential to enhance HLB resistance. Several C. australasica interstock lines were tested, and at least three showed promising results in delaying infection. Disease symptoms and bacterial titers were monitored, indicating that plants with C. australasica F1 hybrid interstocks had lower CLas titers and milder symptoms than non-interstock controls. These findings suggest that C. australasica hybrids could serve as a long-term strategy to mitigate HLB by providing continuous antimicrobial effects. Future research will elucidate the molecular mechanisms of this defense and assess the long-term efficacy of C. australasica interstocks under field conditions. This study contributes to sustainable, economically viable disease management strategies for the citrus industry, offering an alternative to existing control methods.