Evaluation of citrus somatic hybrids for tolerance to Phytophthora nicotianae and citrus tristeza virus

Somatic hybridization is a biotechnology tool that can be used in citrus breeding programs to produce somatic hybrids with the complete genetic combination of both parents. The goal of this work was to test the reaction of citrus somatic hybrids that may be useful as rootstocks to trunk and root infections caused by Phytophthora nicotianae van Breda de Haan (P. parasitica Dastur) and to citrus tristeza virus (CTV). The somatic hybrids evaluated were ‘Caipira’ sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) + ‘Rangpur’ lime (C. limonia Osbeck), ‘Caipira’ sweet orange + ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin (C. reshni hort. ex Tanaka), ‘Caipira’ sweet orange + ‘Volkamer’ lemon (C. volkameriana V. Ten. & Pasq.), ‘Caipira’ sweet orange + rough lemon (C. jambhiri Lush.), ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin + ‘Volkamer’ lemon, ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin + sour orange (C. aurantium L.), ‘Rangpur’ lime + ‘Sunki’ mandarin (C. sunki (Hayata) hort. ex Tanaka), ‘Ruby Blood’ sweet orange (C. sinensis L. Osbeck) + ‘Volkamer’ lemon, ‘Rohde Red’ sweet orange (C. sinensis L. Osbeck) + ‘Volkamer’ lemon, and ‘Valencia’ sweet orange + Fortunella obovata hort. ex Tanaka. For P. nicotianae trunk and root infection assays, plants of the somatic hybrids, obtained from 9-month semi-hardwood cuttings, were evaluated and compared with diploid citrus rootstock cultivars after mycelia inoculation in the trunk or spore infestation in the substrate, respectively. ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin + sour orange, ‘Rangpur’ lime + ‘Sunki’ mandarin, ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin + ‘Volkamer’ lemon, ‘Ruby Blood’ sweet orange + ‘Volkamer’ lemon, ‘Rohde Red’ sweet orange + ‘Volkamer’ lemon, and ‘Caipira’ sweet orange + ‘Volkamer’ lemon had less trunk rot occurrence, whereas the somatic hybrids ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin + ‘Volkamer’ lemon, ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin + sour orange, ‘Caipira’ sweet orange + ‘Volkamer’ lemon, and ‘Caipira’ sweet orange + ‘Rangpur’ lime were tolerant to root rot. For CTV assays, plants of the somatic hybrids along with tolerant and intolerant rootstocks were budded with a mild strain CTV-infected or healthy ‘Valencia’ sweet orange budwood. Differences in average scion shoot length indicated that the hybrids ‘Cleopatra’ mandarin + sour orange and ‘Valencia’ sweet orange + Fortunella obovata were intolerant to CTV.