Detection of huanglongbing infection in citrus using compositional analysis of volatile organic compounds

Huanglongbing (HLB) is caused by “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” and is spread by citrus psyllids. It is a highly damaging and infectious disease of citrus for which there is no reliable treatment. Timely detection and removal of diseased trees is an effective strategy to control HLB. Various citrus cultivars infected with HLB exhibit distinct symptoms, posing a challenge to generalize HLB detection methods across multiple cultivars. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in HLB‐infected leaves from cultivars grown in different regions were comprehensively analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) and gas chromatography‐ion mobility spectrometry (GC‐IMS), aiming to establish a new generalized HLB detection method applicable to a range of citrus cultivars. The changes in VOCs were analysed in leaves of four citrus cultivars after infection with HLB. The results showed that there was a similar response to HLB infection in different citrus cultivars, and this response was reflected in both the concentration and type of VOCs. By combining GC‐MS and GC‐IMS with orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS‐DA) model, the accurate identification of the HLB infection status of different citrus cultivars was achieved, with the prediction indices reaching 0.994 for GC‐MS and 0.972 for GC‐IMS. In addition, 27 compounds were identified that were significantly different between citrus cultivars affected by HLB and healthy plants. This study provides valuable insights into the changes in VOCs in citrus cultivars after HLB infection and lays the theoretical foundation for VOC‐based HLB detection strategies.