All Research Projects
Our Research

Citrus Dwarfing of Commercial Varieties using TsnRNAs

Project ID:

5100-154

Principal Investigator:

Georgios Vidalakis

Principal Investigator Affiliation:

University of California, Riverside

Co-Investigators:

  • Irene Lavagi-Craddock

Collaborators:

  • Louis Santiago
  • Carol Lovatt

Start Date:

2015

Estimated Duration:

10 year(s)

Completed Date:

N/A

Annual Funding:

$69,381.00

The potential spread of HLB in CA makes it imperative to develop effective HLB management plans to ensure that the citrus industry continues to thrive. The term ‘transmissible small nuclear ribonucleic acids’ (TsnRNAs) describes well-characterized viroid RNA species that do not induce any pronounced disease syndromes in specific citrus hosts, but rather act as regulatory genetic elements modifying tree performance. The potential use of the TsnRNA dwarfing technology could result to high density plantings in open field or under protective structures (CUPS) that can be useful on meeting the challenges of Huanglongbing, water shortage, farm land reduction and last but not least labor cost and the potential for mechanized harvesting.

Additional Resources