Citrus greening disease

Citrus greening disease (Chinese:黃龍病; pinyin:huánglóngbìng; literally: "Yellow Dragon Disease"), abbreviated as HLB, is a disease of citrus caused by a vector-transmitted pathogen. The causative agents are motile bacteria, Candidatus Liberibacter spp. The disease is vectored and transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, and the African citrus psyllid, Trioza erytreae Del Guercio, also known as the two-spotted citrus psyllid. It has also been shown to be graft-transmissible. Three different types of HLB are currently known: The heat-tolerant Asian form, and the heat-sensitive African and American forms. The disease was first described in 1929 and first reported in China in 1943. The African variation was first reported in 1947 in South Africa, where it is still widespread.