Studies on cross-transmission of citrus leprosis virus, passion fruit green spot virus and coffee ringspot virus

• Grant number: 07/01414-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2007
• End date: April 30, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: Juliana de Freitas Astúa
• Grantee: Gabriela Mascarenhas
• Host Institution: Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil is one of the world’s largest citrus producers. This crop is responsible for thousands of jobs and significant revenues for the country. However, the production cost is considerably increased due to expenses and losses caused by diseases in general, and leprosis in particular. One of the main Brazilian citrus industry problems is the disease known as leprosis, caused by Citrus leprosis virus cytoplasmic type (CiLV-C) and transmitted by the tenuipalpid mite Brevipalpus phoenicis. Annually U$ 70 million are spent with acaricides against this vector. Thus, understanding this pathosystem is very important, and the study of virus transmission has an essential role in it. The Brevipalpus mite is also vector of over 40 virus species, among them the Coffee ring spot virus (CoRSV) and the Passion fruit green spot virus (PFGSV) that infect, respectively, coffee and passion fruit. There are evidences that the orange-coffee-passion fruit consortium or cultivation of more than one of these plant species in adjacent areas can contribute to the maintenance of the mite and, possibly, the viruses. This fact, associated with the lack of information about this subject, reiterates the importance of this proposal. The objective of the current project is to verify, under greenhouse conditions, the existence of cross transmission of the CiLV-C, PFGSV and CoRSV by B. phoenicis.