Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran

Management of Witches' Broom Disease of Lime (WBDL) for the First Time in the World

The phytoplasma disease 'Witches' Broom' (WB) of lime was first observed in Oman in 1986, and within ten years, it devastated the country's lime orchards. In 1997, symptoms of WB appeared in the Sistan and Baluchestan regions and gradually spread to Minab, Roudan, Bandar Abbas, and Hajiabad. Due to the lack of global information on managing this disease, there were serious concerns about the gradual destruction of lime orchards, which posed security issues in the border provinces. Given the importance of this problem, the "Comprehensive Management Program for Lime WB Disease" was developed and implemented in 2006. This program was notable for its comprehensive approach, addressing various aspects of the issue simultaneously, including research, extension, and the utilization of both domestic and international capabilities. The program, comprising eight plans and 55 research-executive projects, was approved and operationalized by the government. The program resulted in a technical guideline that, when implemented, managed and controlled the lime WB disease for the first time globally. The success of this program has been adopted by other countries such as Lebanon and Italy. Additionally, the program trained over 20 Master's and Ph.D. students, published dozens of high-impact international articles in journals such as Nature and Autophagy, and received the Khwarizmi International Award. Over a four-year period, the program successfully managed to forgive parts of the principal and interest on loans for affected farmers. Furthermore, this program eradicated, rehabilitated, and replaced infected lime across 7,000 hectares, addressing a major national and security challenge.