title: Spatial imaging of Zn and other elements in Huanglongbing-affected grapefruit by synchrotron-based micro X-ray fluorescence investigation.
abstract: Huanglongbing (HLB) is a highly destructive, fast-spreading disease of citrus, causing substantial economic losses to the citrus industry worldwide. Nutrient levels and their cellular distribution patterns in stems and leaves of grapefruit were analysed after graft-inoculation with lemon scions containing 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (Las), the heat-tolerant Asian type of the HLB bacterium. After 12 months, affected plants showed typical HLB symptoms and significantly reduced Zn concentrations in leaves. Micro-XRF imaging of Zn and other nutrients showed that preferential localization of Zn to phloem tissues was observed in the stems and leaves collected from healthy grapefruit plants, but was absent from HLB-affected samples. Quantitative analysis by using standard references revealed that Zn concentration in the phloem of veins in healthy leaves was more than 10 times higher than that in HLB-affected leaves. No significant variation was observed in the distribution patterns of other elements such as Ca in stems and leaves of grapefruit plants with or without graft-inoculation of infected lemon scions. These results suggest that reduced phloem transport of Zn is an important factor contributing to HLB-induced Zn deficiency in grapefruit. Our report provides the first in situ, cellular level visualization of elemental variations within the tissues of HLB-affected citrus.
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Indian River Research and Education Center, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA.
authors.forename: Shengke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Lingli
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Labavitch
authors.forename: Samuel M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Xiaoe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Patrick H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Zhenli
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D032083:Citrus paradisi / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D008903:Minerals / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D052585:Phloem / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D012230:Rhizobiaceae / Q000502:physiology*; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission / Q000379:methods*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D017356:Synchrotrons; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals; D015032:Zinc
keywords: Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus; Huanglongbing; distribution; grapefruit; micro-XRF; phloem; zinc.