African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 6 (4), pp. 375-378, 19 February 2007   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2007 Academic Journals        

Full Length Research Paper

Discrimination of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) strains using Mexican lime/citrange Troyer combinations (Citrus poncirus/Citrus trifoliata x Poncirus sinensis)

NDONGO BEKOLO, AMBANG Zachée, BELIBI MESSANGA Louis* and AMOUGOU AKOA

Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, P.O.Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: belibiml@yahoo.fr. Tel: (237) 735-73-05.

Accepted 21 November, 2006

Two strains of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) were studied for six years in Yaounde in the forest zone of Cameroon. These strains, S_NCL2 and S_NCL4, were characterized on Lisbon lemon in Nyombe in the littoral zone of Cameroon. They were inoculated onto combinations of Mexican lime/citrange Troyer. The virulent strain S_NCL2 induced a lower lateral growth of the trunk of stocks and scions of six years old combinations. These observations were made three years after inoculation. Tristeza symptoms could not allow for differentiation between the two strains of CTV.

Key words: Tristeza, viral strains, discrimination.