Photo credit: Fundecitrus
The Applied Research Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Citrus Farming was inaugurated Dec. 12 in a ceremony at the Palácio dos Bandeirantes, seat of Brazil’s São Paulo state government. Its purpose is to combat the main citrus diseases, such as citrus variegated chlorosis, sudden citrus death and above all, citrus greening.
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Fundecitrus and the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP) created the center.
The center will have a total investment of R$200 million for the next five years, renewable for another five. R$90 million will be contributed by FAPESP and Fundecitrus, and the remaining funds will correspond to non-financial contributions in the form of investments in infrastructure, technicians’ salaries and more.
The center’s mission will be to develop research, disseminate knowledge and transfer technology to the citrus sector.
“The alliance between FAPESP, Fundecitrus, ESALQ and other research centers will help to reestablish the sector responsible for 8% of the São Paulo economy,” said Marco Antonio Zago, president of FAPESP.
The center’s main line of work will be to promote the formation of new research groups and consolidate others already established, with the aim of controlling citrus greening.
Juliano Ayres, executive director of Fundecitrus, said the center will address “the serious challenge of mitigating the incidence of greening” and perhaps ultimately find a way to prevent or cure the disease.
Marcio de Castro de Silva Filho, scientific director of FAPESP, said, “We’ve taken a very important step that will transform the citrus industry in the state of São Paulo.”
In the last five orange harvests, greening caused premature fruit drop equivalent to 97.2 million boxes, resulting in an estimated revenue loss of U.S. $972 million.
The Applied Research Center’s main lines of academic research include understanding pathogen-plant vector interactions with an emphasis on the histopathology, physiology and metabolism of the host (citrus), the genetics of plant-pathogen-host interactions and the consequences of climate change. The applied research includes the management of greening with an emphasis on host genetic resistance and chemical, biological, physical and cultural control of the bacterium and its vector.
Another applied line of research will aim to mitigate damage and increase production. Research will focus on the production system, plant nutrition and damage reduction, loss assessment, risk of disease occurrence, and economic analysis of management measures and their impact.
In addition to research, the center will have a strong role in teaching, knowledge dissemination and technology transfer.
The center will be based at ESALQ-USP, in Piracicaba, São Paulo. In addition to Fundecitrus, the center will include researchers from other USP units, the Federal University of São Carlos, the State University of Campinas, the Biological Institute, São Paulo State University, the Agronomic Institute of Campinas and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation.
Researchers from foreign institutions, including the University of Florida and the University of California, will also act as collaborators.
Source: FAPESP
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