Location: Citrus and Other Subtropical Products Research
Project Number: 6034-21000-019-001-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jan 15, 2017
End Date: Jan 14, 2023
Objective:
The ultimate goal is to identify chemistries associated with a spectrum of bactericides that will cure or prophylactically treat CLas (the bacterium associated with Huanglongbing (HLB) infection in citrus trees.
Objective 1. Optimize formulations of chemical bactericides to facilitate phloem mobility.
Objective 2. Harnessing the power of bactericides produced by citrus-inhabiting microbes.
Objective 3. Testing bactericides for phloem mobility and as HLB therapies.
Objective 4. Integration of Research and Extension.
Approach:
1. Nano-formulations of bactericidal materials including silver, manganese, phosphorous, sulfur, copper and boron will be developed to aid migration into citrus phloem.
2. One anti-bacterial, plant-associated microbial natural product has been identified and will be chemically derived to optimize its phloem mobility and its efficacy against CLas.
3. Candidate chemicals will be evaluated for their preventative and curative properties by applying treatments before or after infection with CLas in greenhouse experiments by (i) direction injection (ii) continual release injection (iii) a soil drench and (iv) foliar spray application+leaf epidermal penetrants. All treatments will first be evaluated in greenhouse experiments. Field trials of promising formulations will be done in year 4 and 5.
