HLB induce changes in the tree physiology of citron (Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle).

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a highly destructive disease that decreases the yield and quality of Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle (C. medica var. sarcodactylis) and poses a great threat to the development of the global citrus industry. To explore the influence of HLB infection on C. medica var. sarcodactylis, levels of photosynthetic pigments, malondialdehyde (MDA), and carbohydrates, as well as antioxidant enzyme activities, were measured. The results show that HLB infection decreased photosynthetic pigment content, increased MDA content and antioxidant enzyme activities, and caused various changes in carbohydrate levels in stem, fruit, and leaf tissues. Transcriptomic analysis of C. medica var. sarcodactylis was also used to identify key genes related to the carbohydrate metabolic synthesis pathway in C. medica var. sarcodactylis. The C. medica var. sarcodactylis ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase1 (CmAGP1), CmAGP2, C. medica var. sarcodactylis Granule-bound starch synthase (CmGBSS), C. medica var. sarcodactylis Sucrose synthases1 (CmSUS1), CmSUS2, C. medica var. sarcodactylis Sucrose phosphate synthase (CmSPS), C. medica var. sarcodactylis alkaline/neutral invertase1 (CmNi1), CmNi2, CmNi3 and CmNi4 were successfully cloned and identified, and differential expression analysis showed that HLB infection significantly upregulated these genes in stems and leaves. In conclusion, HLB infection causes cellular damage, a reduction in photosynthetic capacity, decreased pathogen resistance, and severe disorders in carbohydrate metabolism in C. medica var. sarcodactylis. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01129-z. © Prof. H.S. Srivastava Foundation for Science and Society 2022.