Studies on the evolution of the sweet orange leaf lesions caused by the Citrus leprosis virus C (CiLV-C)

• Grant number: 13/05457-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Elliot Watanabe Kitajima
• Grantee: Evandro Marques Ferronato
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 08/52691-9 - Management of citrus leprosis, AP.TEM

Abstract

Studies on the evolution of the leaf lesions caused by Citrus leprous vírus C (CiLV-C)The knowledge of the citrus leprous pathosystem had important advances since 2000. It is known that there are at least two distinct viruses causing leprosy symptoms- the less aggressive nuclear type (CiLV-N) and the prevalent and more severe cytoplasmic type (CiLV-C). Both are transmitted by the tenuipalpid mite Brevipalpus. CiLV-C genome was entirely sequenced and molecular and immunodetection tools are available for its detection. There is detailed information on the vírus/vector relationship for CiLV-C. A few species were found naturally infected by CiLV-C, but quite a large number of plant species were experimentally infected by this vírus. The present project is aimed to understand the evolution of the lesions induced by CiLV-C along the time and if possible evaluate their viral content. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is an Excelente indicator plant for CiLV-C in mite transmission experiments. Its use also as a local lesion assay plant in mechanical transmission experiments of CiLV-C will be analyzed. If this system works, it may become an inexpensive and easy method to titer the CiLV-C. This information may help better understand the epidemiology of the CiLV-C providing data on when infection did start by the lesion size.(AU)