The Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA) has gathered in Moncada (Valencia) the leading international specialists in the yellow nerve chlorosis virus in citrus, with the aim of launching a global scientific cooperation network and strengthening the detection, knowledge, and management of this pathology that concerns the Valencian citrus sector.
The meeting is framed within the international scientific day on "citrus yellow vein clearing virus" (CYVCV) –a pathogen that mainly affects lemon and bitter orange trees–, as detailed by the Generalitat in a statement.
The director of IVIA, Alejandro Tena, emphasized that the institute, considered a global reference in the diagnosis of viruses affecting citrus, "has validated a new specific detection method for CYVCV, which has already been transferred to the plant health services of the autonomous communities."
Tena has highlighted the IVIA's ability to bring together specialists of "recognized prestige" with whom it already maintains lines of collaboration, such as Dr. Francesco Di Serio, researcher at the "Instituto per la Protezione Sostenibile de le Piante," from Italy, or Drs. Mengji Cao and Xuedong Liu, from the "Citrus Research Institute" of Southwest University, in China.
In the case of Di Serio, he presented the current situation of the virus in Italy and the measures being applied in the south of the country, in the Naples area, where lemon cultivation is "very important" and his experience is "very relevant." At the same time, Tena highlighted the trajectory of the Chinese experts, "who have been addressing this disease for 20 years and from whose research we can learn a lot."
Among them, Dr. Liu, a specialist in new technologies for controlling the disease affecting citrus, and Dr. Cao, who detailed how they are managing the virus in China, especially from the perspective of the management that nurseries and citrus producers can carry out.
On the other hand, the researcher from the Center for Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Antonio Olmos, highlighted during his presentation the progress of IVIA in research, early detection, and prevention of this virus, as well as the actions aimed at "strengthening the response capacity against its possible appearance."
In this line, he has recalled that last January the institute had already developed a methodology that allows detecting the virus in a "quick and effective" manner. At the same time, another of the laboratories of IVIA is working on new diagnostic tools that "allow identifying its presence directly in the nurseries, without the need to transfer the samples to the laboratory to perform a PCR test."
The organization of this day responds precisely to the recent detection of the virus in Spain and Italy, which poses new challenges for the health of citrus fruits throughout the Mediterranean basin. This is pointed out by Antonio Vicent, coordinator of the Plant Protection Center, who emphasizes the need to bring together researchers, diagnostic laboratory personnel, professionals from the citrus sector, and students to share the experience of the affected countries and be in better conditions to face the current phytosanitary challenges.
Throughout the session, which was also attended by Vicente Dalmau, a member of the Plant Health service of the Conselleria of Agriculture, Water, Livestock, and Fisheries, key issues such as the emergence and global expansion of the virus, the threats it poses to Mediterranean citrus cultivation, the latest advances in diagnosis, and the knowledge of its genetic diversity have been addressed.