TY - JOUR
T1 - Development and morphological changes in leaves and branches of acid lime (Citrus aurantifolia) affected by witches' broom
AU - Al-Yahyai, Rashid Abdullah
AU - Al-Sadi, Abdullah Mohammed
AU - Al Said, Fahad
AU - Alkalbani, Zakiya Hilal
AU - Carvalho, Claudine Márcia
AU - Elliot, Simon Luke
AU - Bertaccini, Assunta
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Firenze University Press.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Witches' broom (WB), associated with the presence of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia', is one of the most serious diseases of acid lime. This study determined incidence, distribution, and development of the disease, and morphological changes in leaves and branches of affected host plants. Survey in different parts of Oman showed that WB occurs in most regions in the country, where 108 out of 158 (68%) surveyed farms were found to have diseased trees. A survey of 6,926 acid lime trees showed that severity of WB was positively related (r = 0.948; P<0.01) to tree age. The mean percentage of symptomatic branches was 1% in 3-year-old trees compared to 63% in 12-year-old trees. To further characterize morphological changes in WB-affected limes, apical stems (40 cm long) were collected from three infected trees during the autumn of 2009 and spring of 2010. Increases in the numbers of leaves (1,208%), numbers of branches (309%) and total length of branches (712%) were recorded for symptomatic branches relative to non-symptomatic branches. In the spring of 2009 these respective increases were 159%, 243% and 121%.Overall area of leaves in the symptomatic branches was 81% less than for non-symptomatic branches in the autumn of 2009 and 34% less in the spring of 2010. This study is the first to characterize morphological changes in leaves and branches of acid lime affected by WB.
AB - Witches' broom (WB), associated with the presence of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia', is one of the most serious diseases of acid lime. This study determined incidence, distribution, and development of the disease, and morphological changes in leaves and branches of affected host plants. Survey in different parts of Oman showed that WB occurs in most regions in the country, where 108 out of 158 (68%) surveyed farms were found to have diseased trees. A survey of 6,926 acid lime trees showed that severity of WB was positively related (r = 0.948; P<0.01) to tree age. The mean percentage of symptomatic branches was 1% in 3-year-old trees compared to 63% in 12-year-old trees. To further characterize morphological changes in WB-affected limes, apical stems (40 cm long) were collected from three infected trees during the autumn of 2009 and spring of 2010. Increases in the numbers of leaves (1,208%), numbers of branches (309%) and total length of branches (712%) were recorded for symptomatic branches relative to non-symptomatic branches. In the spring of 2009 these respective increases were 159%, 243% and 121%.Overall area of leaves in the symptomatic branches was 81% less than for non-symptomatic branches in the autumn of 2009 and 34% less in the spring of 2010. This study is the first to characterize morphological changes in leaves and branches of acid lime affected by WB.
KW - 'Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia'
KW - Phytoplasma
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U2 - 10.14601/Phytopathol_Mediterr-14746
DO - 10.14601/Phytopathol_Mediterr-14746
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84932178022
SN - 0031-9465
VL - 54
SP - 133
EP - 139
JO - Phytopathologia Mediterranea
JF - Phytopathologia Mediterranea
IS - 1
ER -