On the Trail of Viroids a Return to Phytosanitary Awareness
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- The shift in Israeli citriculture to the southern parts of the country, where soils were less suitable for viroid-sensitive rootstocks and higher salinity levels proved especially damaging to viroid-infected trees;
- Changes in local citrus management practices revealed that recommendations advocating viroid inoculation for dwarf tree production often overlooked or disregarded phytosanitation guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of viroids in sensitive scion-rootstock combinations. This was evidenced by increased incidences of poor performance in trees grafted onto viroid-sensitive rootstocks, such as Troyer citrange. Ultimately, we concluded that it was impractical to simultaneously promote viroid-induced dwarfing and emphasize proper sanitation.
2. The Pre-Viroid Period
2.1. Avocado Sunblotch Disease
2.2. Unexpected Findings from Failed Nematode Transmission Experiments
2.3. Citrus Exocortis Disease
2.4. Molecular Diagnosis of Viroids
2.5. The Shift Toward Using Citrus Viroids for Dwarfing
2.6. Biological and Biophysical Assays of the GTD-225 Complex
2.7. Sequential PAGE Analyses of Citrus Viroids in GTD-225
3. Sequencing the GTD-225 Citrus Viroids
3.1. Characterization of the HSVd Component in GTD-225
3.2. Characterization of CVd-IV (Citrus Bark Cracking Viroid)
3.3. Further CVd Sequence Analyses
3.4. Isolation and Characterization of Citrus Bent Leaf Viroid (CBLVd)
3.5. Ultra High-Density Planting (HDP) Experiment in the Hulla Valley
3.6. Acquired Tolerance to Malsecco Through Citrus Viroid Inoculation
3.7. Movement of CEVd in Etrog Citron Seedlings
4. Effects of Viroids on Citrus Water Relations
4.1. Greenhouse Tests
4.2. Field Tests
4.3. Goats as Vectors of Viroids
4.4. Multiprobe for Simultaneous Detection of Citrus Viroids
5. The Failures
6. Discussion
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
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Bar-Joseph, M. On the Trail of Viroids a Return to Phytosanitary Awareness. Pathogens 2025, 14, 545. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060545
Bar-Joseph M. On the Trail of Viroids a Return to Phytosanitary Awareness. Pathogens. 2025; 14(6):545. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060545
Chicago/Turabian StyleBar-Joseph, Moshe. 2025. "On the Trail of Viroids a Return to Phytosanitary Awareness" Pathogens 14, no. 6: 545. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060545
APA StyleBar-Joseph, M. (2025). On the Trail of Viroids a Return to Phytosanitary Awareness. Pathogens, 14(6), 545. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060545