Microbiota of Citrus sinensis plants affected by Citrus Decline Disease

Citrus Decline Disease was recently-reported affecting several citrus species in Iran when grafted on a local rootstock variety, Bakraee. Preliminary studies found ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifoliae’ and ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ as putative etiological agents, but were not ultimately able to determine which one, or if an association of both, were causing the disease. The current study has the aim of characterizing the microbiota of citrus plants that are either asymptomatic, showing early symptoms, or showing late symptoms through amplification of the V1-V3 region of 16S rRNA gene using an Illumina sequencer in order to (i) clarify the etiology of the disease, and (ii) describe the microbiota associated to different symptom stages.