Engineering of citrus to obtain huanglongbing resistance

• Published in: Current opinion in biotechnology 2021-08, Vol.70, p.196-203
• Main Authors: Alquézar, Berta, Carmona, Lourdes, Bennici, Stefania, Peña, Leandro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0958-1669; 1879-0429
• DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2021.06.003

[Display omitted] •CLas cultures on hairy roots enable investigations in real CLas/citrus pathosystem.•New CLas-resistant genotypes, sexually compatible with Citrus, have been reported.•Putative target genes that may be involved in bacterial infection have been reported.•Better understanding of plant/pathogen/vector HLB pathosystem is needed. Huanglongbing (HLB) disease is threatening the sustainability of citriculture in affected regions because of its rapid spread and the severity of the symptoms it induces. Herein, we summarise the main research findings that can be exploited to develop HLB-resistant cultivars. A major bottleneck has been the lack of a system for the ex vivo cultivation of HLB-associated bacteria (CLs) in true plant hosts, which precludes the evaluation of target genes/metabolites in reliable plant/pathogen/vector environments. With regard to HLB vectors, several biotechnologies which have been proven in laboratory settings to be effective for insect control are presented. Finally, new genotypes that are resistant to CLs or their insect vectors are described, and the most relevant strategies for fighting HLB are highlighted.