Portugal: Research reveals greater resistance to greening in Lisbon lemon trees

A group of scientists from California, New York and Washington, in the United States, found that lemon trees in Lisbon, Portugal, had less molecular response than Washington's navel orange trees to the pathogen that causes greening, a disease also known as huanglongbing. and HLB. It attacks all types of citrus and there is no cure for infected plants. Greening is caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. Young trees that are attacked fail to produce and the adult plants lose their fruits early and die slowly. Scientists believe that part of this response by lemon trees occurred because infected lemon leaves tend to accumulate micronutrients, which has less impact on photosynthesis. In addition, protease inhibitors, important for plant defense, were regulated positively in lemons. The results were found through a comprehensive molecular analysis. "These results may be important for the development of citrus varieties that are more tolerant or, perhaps, resistant to the HLB ...