ESTABLISHMENT OF A HUANGLONGBING DETECTION AND WIDE-AREA MONITORING PROGRAM IN HAWAII.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus species in the world and threatens the existence of the citrus industry worldwide. Hawaii is home to endemic Rutaceae (citrus family) species found no where else in the world and is one of the last citrus-producing states in which HLB has not been reported. Hawaii is also a major hub for agricultural and nursery products and over 7 million people visit each year. Asian citrus psyllid (ASP), a vector of HLB, is now well established in the State of Hawaii. Of grave concern is the lack of a Hawaii-based HLB Detection Center and monitoring program. HLB surveys in Hawaii and the Pacific have been severely hampered by the expense, time delays, rapid sample degradation in the subtropical environment, and permitting issues for submitting samples for testing in the continental U.S. The goal of this seed proposal is to establish a statewide HLB detection and monitoring program in Hawaii that would reduce vulnerability to HLB establishment in Hawaii and other HLB-free regions. The first objective of this seed grant proposal is to establish a HLB Detection Center and wide-area monitoring program in Hawaii with free sample submission for participants statewide and throughout the Pacific Islands. Our second objective is to establish an extension project to educate students, extension personnel, regulatory personnel and policy makers, and the public about HLB and encourage participation in the monitoring program. The establishment of HLB detection and wide-area monitoring capabilities will provide faster regulatory response times and increased likelihood of detection because of the number of newly educated survey participants. Expected outcomes include 1) Increased likelihood of early detection of HLB and Asian citrus psyllid because of greater number of educated surveyors and public awareness; 2) Students will have hands on experience in HLB detection, data interpretation, and development of "real-time" disease management strategies; 3) A HLB Detection Center in Hawaii will result in faster response times for regulatory action such as interisland quarantines, embargos or eradication; 4) Wide-area monitoring by participants allows regulatory agencies to focus limited resources at higher-risk areas; and 5) The data from the wide-area monitoring program will provide a basis for future participation in AFRI and other funding opportunities.

A HLB Detection Program using high-throughput, sensitive qPCR-based detection assays for HLB-associated organisms will be established at University of Hawaii-Manoa. Equipment for the center is provided through collaborations with APHIS and Dr. Anne Alvarez,UH. The HLB detection system will utilize sample extraction and detection protocols currently used by APHIS certified labs and incorporate new, highly sensitive methods developed by our collaborators, Drs. Y. Duan and Kent Morgan, USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Fort Pierce, Florida. In addition to Candidatus Liberibacter bacteria associated with disease, assays will include specific detection of a phytoplasma that is also associated with HLB. Portals for sample submission by participants throughout Hawaii will be provided by Cooperative Extension Service (CES) Offices located on each island. Collaborators from the Pacific Islands will submit samples through appropriate carriers. Participants will fill out a form that includes: collection location or GPS coordinates, date, plant name(s), plant part, growth stage, how they heard about the program, and submitter's contact information. Samples with forms can be given to extension agents or dropped off at CES offices statewide. Samples will be sent to the Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center and processed at the HLB Detection Program. The Western Plant Disease Network, a division of the National Plant Disease Network will be notified of positive samples. Participants contacted through our HLB education and extension program (Objective 2) will include commercial citrus, nursery crop, and residential growers of citrus or Rutaceae species, forestry and arboretum managers, APHIS and HDOA collaborators and personnel, students, researchers and extension agents, from Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. Educational media will include posters, flyers, presentations, face-to-face contacts, and a website (phytobacteria.org) with linkages to other sources of HLB information, to grower groups, and to CTAHR, APHIS and HDOA. Media components will include: a. disease recognition, b. cause, c. modes of spread including infected material, ACP, and illegal importation, d. potential hosts of HLB and ACP, including endemic species, e. how to collect and submit samples to the free testing program, and f. contacts for additional information. Educational venues will include lectures in formal community college, undergraduate, and graduate classes in the UH System, CES training sessions, Master Gardener, Farm fairs, and local grower meetings. It is expected that public sample submission will not cover all of the regions citrus or Rutaceae members are grown. The sample distribution will be reviewed twice per year and combined with surveys conducted by HDOA. Additional collections will be made in regions that are under-represented.