Citrus greening disease
| Citrus greening disease | |
|---|---|
Citrus greening disease on mandarin oranges | |
| Common names | HLB, citrus vein phloem degeneration (CVPD), citrus greening disease, yellow shoot disease, yellow dragon disease, leaf mottle yellows in the Philippines, citrus dieback in India |
| Causal agents | Liberibacter spp. (L. asiaticus, L. africanus, L. americanus) |
| Hosts | citrus trees |
| Vectors | Diaphorina citri, Trioza erytreae |
| EPPO Code | 1LIBEG |
| Distribution | Asia, Africa, United States |
Citrus greening disease (Chinese: 黃龍病; pinyin: huánglóngbìng abbr. HLB) is a disease of citrus caused by a vector-transmitted pathogen. The causative agents are motile bacteria, Liberibacter spp. The disease is transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, and the African citrus psyllid, Trioza erytreae. It has no known cure. It is graft-transmissible.
There are three different types of the disease: a heat-tolerant Asian form, and the heat-sensitive African and American forms. It was first described in 1929, and first reported in South China in 1943. The African variation was first reported in 1947 in South Africa, where it is still widespread. It reached Florida in 2005, and within three years had spread to the majority of citrus farms. The rapid increase in this disease has threatened the citrus industry in the entire US. As of 2009, 33 countries had reported the infection in their citrus crop.