The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an investment of more than $70 million in the Plant Protection Act program. This includes funding of 357 projects in fiscal year 2025. The work will strengthen the country’s defenses against plant pests and diseases, safeguard the U.S. nursery system, and enhance pest detection and mitigation efforts.
Part of the funding is going toward citrus projects, including the following:
- Enhancing citrus germplasm mobility: Advanced qPCR testing in California and Florida to support research and meet industry needs, University of California, Riverside, $165,473
- Enhancing U.S. citrus nursery sustainability: collaborative stakeholder alignment and engagement, University of California, Riverside, $101,977
- California citrus pest and disease outreach, California Department of Food and Agriculture, $230,000
- Movement of Phyllosticta citricarpa conidia from leaf litter and within citrus canopies, University of Florida, $154,027
- Identification of citrus greening pathogen receptors for development of non-vector Asian citrus psyllid, University of Florida, $116,801
- Development of a qPCR assay for sensitive and specific detection of three major phloem-limited bacteria infecting citrus, USDA Agricultural Research Service, $35,000
- Citrus greening educational, outreach and management program, Sam Houston State University, $51,959
- Developing nanoencapsulated nextGen systemic insecticides for citrus health response programs, Baylor University, $195,264
- Microbial control of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus: Follow up, Texas A&M University Kingsville Citrus Center, $181,045
“This funding provides our partners throughout the country the tools they need to help protect U.S. agriculture, our natural resources and food security,” said Jenny Lester Moffitt, former USDA under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs. “These projects will help in the fight against invasive plant pests and diseases, protecting growers and creating more export opportunities for American products.”
Out of the 357 projects funded this year, 339 are managed by the Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program (PPDMDPP) and 18 are supported through the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). PPDMDPP projects are organized around specific goal areas that represent critical needs and opportunities to strengthen against, prevent, detect and mitigate invasive pests and diseases. The NCPN helps maintain the infrastructure needed for pathogen-, disease- and pest-free certified planting materials, benefiting U.S. specialty crop producers.
USDA plans to allocate approximately $10 million for rapid responses to invasive pest emergencies, addressing pests with high economic consequences.
See the full list of funded projects here.
Source: USDA
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