Canker on Valencia orange

Citrus Canker
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Biology and Epidemiology

Tim Schubert Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry
Canker on grapefruit

Characteristics of the Citrus Canker Pathogen

Xanthomonas Xanthomonas axonopodis axonopodis pv. pv. citri citri

Size and shape - 1 by 3 microns, elliptical, covered with slime, single polar flagellum. Reproduction - divide every 20-30 minutes. In 6 to 8 hours, population can reach 1 million cells Favorable environmental conditions = wet and warm. Environmental niche - plant pathogen, not a good epiphyte or saprophyte. Specifically pathogenic to citrus. Infects citrus tissue in expansion phase of growth Survival in nature - when it dries, it dies. Inoculum source - must emerge from existing lesions under favorable conditions Vectors - none

How How Xac Xac causes causes canker canker

Bacteria Bacteria must must exit exit existing existing lesions lesions under under wet wet conditions conditions Bacteria Bacteria are are wind-blown wind-blown in in water water droplets droplets to to new new location location

Bacteria Bacteria are are carried carried to to a a new new location location on on plants, plants, people people or or equipment equipment Bacteria Bacteria must must impact impact susceptible susceptible citrus citrus tissue tissue with with enough enough force force to to penetrate penetrate stomatal stomatal aperture aperture OR OR Bacteria Bacteria must must enter enter into into wounds wounds in in citrus citrus tissue tissue Bacteria Bacteria induce induce surrounding surrounding cells cells to to swell swell up up and and divide divide abnormally abnormally Enzymes Enzymes begin begin to to degrade degrade tissues, tissues, kill kill cells cells Plant Plant cell cell contents contents leak leak out out to to nourish nourish bacteria bacteria

OR OR

How How Citrus Citrus Canker Canker Inoculum Inoculum Gets Gets Dispersed Dispersed

Wind Wind blown blown rain rain--Bacteria Bacteriaare areblown blownfrom froman an Human Human activity activity

existing existingwet wetlesion lesionto tosusceptible susceptiblecitrus citrusin ina avulnerable vulnerablestage stage of ofgrowth growthwith withenough enoughforce forceto toenter enterthe thestomates stomatesor orget get introduced introducedinto intoa awound wound

People Peoplewho whowork workin inand andaround aroundcitrus citruspick pickup upinoculum inoculumon on their theirhands, hands,clothes clothesor ortools, tools,then thenunknowingly unknowinglyinoculate inoculate susceptible susceptiblecitrus citrusin inanother anotherlocation location People Peoplemove moveinfected infectedor orexposed exposedcitrus citrusfrom fromone onelocation locationto to another another

Bacteria Bacteria enter enter stomates stomates and and wounds wounds to to start start infection infection
stomate wound

The Canker Syndrome

Citrus canker disease affects all aboveground tissues of most commercial citrus cultivars Causal agent is a bacterial pathogen (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri)

Grapefruit

An An assortment assortment of of canker canker lesions lesions on on fruit fruit

Twig dieback from stem infections on a pummelo in Homestead, FL

Citrus canker beginning to defoliate and cause twig dieback on a young citrus tree in Argentina

Advent Advent of of the the citrus citrus leaf leaf miner miner - 1992 1992

Leaf miner damage (above) Leaf miner larva in mine (upper right) Adult moth of the citrus leaf miner (right)

The Role of Citrus Leaf Miner in Epidemiology of Citrus Canker

Phyllocnistis citrella
Leaf miner prefers young flush, same as CC Leaf miner larvae tunnel under leaf cuticle Feeding causes large amounts of wounded tissue Canker inoculum easily washes into wounds Wounding increases the number of infection courts, infection is facilitated More inoculum is produced from more lesions No stage of the insect life cycle serves as a vector

Note: Natural resistance is greatly diminished in the presence of leaf miner wounds

Leaf miner damage w/canker - front of leaf

Leaf miner damage w/canker - back of leaf

Close up view of confluent canker lesions in leaf miner wounds

Spatiotemporal Spatiotemporal Distribution Distribution of of Citrus Citrus Canker Canker in in Urban Urban Miami Miami Correlation Correlation with with Storm Storm Frontal Frontal Boundaries Boundaries
On leading edge of front, winds normally blow to the northeast Behind front, to the southwest

1995 1996 1997

Effect of Removal of Canker Infected Trees Over Time

When exposed trees are removed, you are actually removing subclinical infections (undetected diseased trees) & trees that will become infected over time. 125 exposed tree radius removal only slows the acceleration: ~ 20% of new diseased trees are removed. To be effective, we need to remove enough infected & exposed trees to cause a net decrease in incidence.

No. Infected Trees

No Control 125 ft Exposed Removal Theoretical Removal

Time

Prerequisites Prerequisites and and data data collection collection for for the the South South Florida Florida canker canker epidemiological epidemiological study study
Little or no disease should be detectable in the immediate disease frontier area at start All citrus host trees in the area should be identified by initial survey and their precise location mapped When diseased trees are detected during periodic surveys, a date of infection is calculated In subsequent surveys, previously identified infected trees are considered focal trees for the next generation of infected trees Nearest neighbor concept is used to identify source of inoculum for next generation of infected trees Earliest data gives the best estimate of disease spread potential

Miami Citrus Canker, 30-day Temporal Window -- Cumulative Percent Capture

100 90
0 1 ) % ( u p a C t n c r e P 0 9 ) % ( u p a C t n c r e P 0 1 0 8 0 9 0 7 0 8 a t M S i m 1 e 0 7 0 6 a t M S i m 1 e a t M S i m 2 e 0 6 0 5 a t M S i m 2 e a t M S i m 3 e 0 5 0 4 a t M S i m 3 e A 1 d a w o r B 0 4 0 3 A 1 d a w o r B 1 d a w o r B 0 3 0 2 1 d a w o r B E T I S P M O C E T I S P M O C 0 1

) F ( e c n a t s i D 0 5

0 5 0 5 2
0 5 2 5 0 1 0 5 4 1 0 5 6 1 0 5 8 1 5 0 2 0 5 2 0 5 4 2 0 5 6 2

0 5 4
0 5 4

0 5 6
0 5 6

0 5 8
) F ( e c n a t s i D 0 5 8

5 0 1

0 5 2 1

0 5 4 1
0 5 2 1

0 5 6 1

0 5 8 1

0 5 4 2

0 5 6 2

0 5 8 2

5 0 3

0 5 2 3

0 5 4 3

0 5 6 3

0 5 8 3

5 0 2

0 5 2

0 5 8 2

5 0 3

0 5 2 3

0 5 4 3

0 5 6 3

0 5 8 3

Percent Capture (%)

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Miami Site 1 Miami Site 2 Miami Site 3 Broward B1A Broward B1B COMPOSITE

50 38 50 36 50 34 50 32 50 30 50 28 50 26 50 24 50 22 50 20 50 18 50 16 50 14 50 12 50 10 0 85 0 65 0 45 0 25

50

Distance (Feet)

Gottwald, et al., 2002

% Capture 90 95 99

D1

D2

D3

B1A

B2A

Cumulative

700 1200 1800

500 700 1400

1150 1450 1950

950 1350 2950

650 1100 1550

700 1100 1950

05 04 03 02 01 00 99 98 97 96 95

The The Spread Spread of of Citrus Citrus Canker Canker in in SE SE Florida Florida 1995-2005 1995-2005

2004-2005 2004-2005 Hurricanes Hurricanes and and Tropical Tropical Storms Storms in in Relation Relation to to Commercial Commercial Citrus Citrus Production Production Areas Areas

Estimated Estimated total total annual annual costs costs of of letting letting canker canker become become endemic endemic in in Florida Florida
(Florida (FloridaCitrus CitrusMutual) Mutual)

$93.4 million for additional grower outlays to contain canker $78.2 million in lost on-tree revenue to growers $170.4 million lost in FOB value of fresh citrus export shipments ------------------------------------Other considerations:
No consideration of economic impact of industry shrinkage Overall economic impact of citrus industry to Florida economy is over $9 billion Citrus industry directly or indirectly provides 126,000 full time jobs