Candidate gene markers for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus for detecting citrus greening disease.

Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) also known as citrus greening is one of the most devastating diseases of citrus worldwide. The disease is caused by Candidatus Liberibacter bacterium, vectored by the psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama and Trioza erytreae Del Guercio. Citrus plants infected by the HLB bacterium may not show visible symptoms sometimes for years following infection. The aim of this study was to develop effective gene-specific primer pairs for polymerase chain reaction based method for quick screening of HLB disease. Thirty-two different gene-specific primer pairs, across the Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus genome, were successfully developed. The possibility of these primer pairs for cross-genome amplification across 'Ca. Liberibacter africanus' and 'Ca. Liberibacter americanus' were tested. The applicability of these primer pairs for detection and differentiation of Ca Liberibacter spp. is discussed.