2010 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) We will produce antibodies against Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus strains found in Florida as well as other species. We will also test the antibodies to establish specificity and to develop diagnostic tests and procedures useful for the Florida citrus industry. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) Liberibacter will be obtained from infected citrus psyllids (or culture if available). Extracts will be prepared (Florida strains first). The Cooperator's laboratory will provide Liberibacter infected insects and/or plant materials essential for the project. These will be used in Beltsville, MD. to produce both recombinant and monoclonal antibodies specific for Liberibacter. The antibodies against Liberibacter will then be used in the Brlansky laboratory to develop research and diagnostic tests needed to manage the disease beginning with ELISA and dot blot tests and continuing with tests in the 'dip stick' format. 3.Progress Report The objective is to determine if ornamental plants from the same botanical family as citrus are also hosts of the bacterium, ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’, that causes citrus huanglongbing or greening disease. We have propagated these ornamental members of the citrus family in our greenhouse and have inoculated some of them by grafting. We have also propagated the parasitic plant dodder and characterized it as a host for ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’ in work that has been recently published. As this project continues, the plants will be evaluated for symptoms of huanglongbing and for the presence of the pathogen by q-PCR, and the dodder plants will be used to transfer the pathogen to these potential alternate host plants. This project was monitored by e-mails and phone calls.