Monitoring of the citrus greening disease (Huanglongbing) in relation to environmental factors in Pakistan

Abstract

The environment plays a crucial role in disease development and their outbreaks. Understanding the pattern of disease progression requires close examination of environmental factors, which are strongly associated with disease severity. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between severity of the citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing, and ecological variables specifically maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, and relative humidity using correlation and regression analysis. The analysis showed a significant correlation between the disease severity and these environmental factors. Correlation and regression equations were employed to develop a predictive model for disease progression. Results indicated that environmental conditions significantly influenced symptom expression, contributing to disease severity. The coefficient of determination (R²) values in regard to temperature dependence for the three citrus varieties i.e. Kinnow, Feutrell’s Early, and Mosambi were 75 %, 82 %, and 83 %, respectively. These findings confirm that environmental factors play a substantial role in the progression of Huanglongbing. The developed model can be applied to guide effective disease management strategies.