Switzerland

Studying Citrus Greening in Switzerland

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, HLB Management, Research

Lukas Hallman is about to embark on an internship in Switzerland to investigate the vascular system of trees affected by citrus greening. Hallman is in his final year of a Ph.D. program in horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center. He is under the guidance of Lorenzo …

areas

Fundecitrus Repudiates Articles About Citrus Greening

Daniel Cooper Brazil, Citrus Greening

Fundecitrus says it repudiates recent articles that claim productivity in Brazil’s São Paulo and Minas Gerais citrus belt will be reduced by 60% in the next five years due to citrus greening disease. Fundecitrus says Chilean and Spanish news portals published such reports on Nov. 14.  According to Fundecitrus, this information is not valid, nor was it ever provided by …

Update on Citrus Greening in Georgia Groves

Josh McGill Georgia, HLB Management

Citrus greening disease is no longer just a problem in residential trees in Georgia. For the first time last year, citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing or HLB, was observed in commercial plantings in Pierce, Wayne and Grady counties, says Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist. Oliver discussed the disease during a citrus meeting …

An Alternative Approach to Citrus Greening

Josh McGill Citrus Greening, Florida, HLB Management

“Life as a citrus grower is a perilous journey,” says Chip Henry. Among the toughest perils the third-generation Florida grower has endured are the freezes of the 1980s, the threat of losing his land to highway construction, and the scourge of citrus greening. Henry’s story begins with the founding of O.E. McGuire Groves in Apopka by his maternal grandparents in …

citrus greening

Citrus Greening Inevitable for North Florida, South Georgia

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening

It’s not a question of if citrus greening disease will be an issue for North Florida and South Georgia citrus growers, but when will it be. Fred Gmitter, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences citrus breeder, believes the disease’s impact in both areas is inevitable. He shared his assessment during a recent Cold Tolerant Citrus Production …

areas

UGA Lab Offers Free Testing for Citrus Greening

Tacy Callies Georgia

The University of Georgia (UGA) Plant Molecular Diagnostic Lab is a key resource for Georgia citrus growers hoping to stay sustainable. While it is a fee-based service lab for the UGA Department of Plant Pathology, it provides free testing for citrus producers concerned about citrus greening, says Jonathan Oliver, UGA assistant professor and small fruits pathologist. “The diagnostic lab here …

Georgia Growers: Stop Citrus Greening Spread

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening

Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia assistant professor and small fruits pathologist, is concerned about the potential impact of citrus greening disease in Georgia. That’s why he is encouraging Georgia growers to quickly dispose of infected trees if any are found. “Once greening becomes really widespread and established in a lot of our trees, it’s really hard to stop it,” Oliver …

Update on Culturing of the Citrus Greening Bacterium

Tacy Callies HLB Management, Research

By Nabil Killiny, Anders Omsland, Haluk Beyenal and David R. Gang The suspected causative agent of citrus greening disease, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), is one of many plant pathogens that has not been isolated and grown in pure culture. One major reason for this is its small genome size; it is missing the genes for several metabolic pathways critical for …

Citrus Greening Solutions: How Long Will It Take?

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening

It may not be the answer Florida citrus growers want to hear, but it is likely to be several years before a citrus greening remedy is put in place to combat the destructive disease. University of Florida professor Fred Gmitter shared his assessment on possible citrus greening solutions during a recent American Seed Trade Association webinar. “We learn a lot …

florida all

Field-Tested Peptide Treats Citrus Greening

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening

Elemental Enzymes, a St. Louis biotechnology firm, has obtained a patent for a natural peptide solution to treat citrus greening disease. The peptide solution, Vismax, is readying for commercialization and is expected to reach the market by 2022. Vismax has been developed and extensively field tested, says Brian Thompson, CEO of Elemental Enzymes. Thompson gave a presentation on Nov. 18 …

Florida citrus growers

Organic Solutions to Citrus Greening Sought

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening, Organic

The Organic Center is currently working with the University of Florida, the University of California, Riverside, and several citrus growers and industry members to conduct a national review of how citrus greening disease is impacting organic growers and other industry members.  The information will be used to develop a large-scale holistic research project proposal targeted toward protecting organic citrus growers from citrus …

AI Will Be Another Tool for Citrus Greening

Ernie Neff All In For Citrus Podcast

Artificial intelligence (AI) will likely help growers and researchers cope with citrus greening (huanglongbing, known as HLB) and other citrus problems over the long run. That’s the belief of J. Scott Angle, the new head of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Angle, UF’s vice president for agriculture and natural resources, says AI is a …

citrus

New Resource to Help Fight Citrus Greening

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening

If information is power, Florida citrus growers have a new asset in their fight against citrus greening disease. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) statewide citrus program launched a major revision of a website, providing instant access to a portfolio of information valuable to growers. The http://citrusresearch.ifas.ufl.edu/ website is now easier to navigate and includes …

New Citrus Greening Treatment Shows Promise

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening, Industry News Release, Research

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers have discovered another possible solution to the plague of citrus greening that is impacting Florida’s citrus groves. This new information adds to the growing portfolio of knowledge that UF/IFAS scientists are amassing to fight the disease. Led by UF/IFAS microbiology and cell science professor Claudio Gonzalez, a team of plant …

Florida citrus growers

Keeping Citrus Greening out of Georgia Groves

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening, Georgia

By Clint Thompson Citrus greening disease is not yet a problem in Georgia. Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist, wants to keep it that way. The disease that has impacted citrus production in Florida for more than a decade has only been observed in backyard plantings in Georgia. However, since the state is expected …

Citrus Greening Bacterium Is Now Available in Culture — So What’s Next?

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening, Research

By Nabil Killiny A dynamic research collaboration between several labs at Washington State University (Gang, Beyenal and Omsland labs), University of Arizona (Brown lab) and University of Florida (Killiny lab) recently reported an important step in the long-sought culture of the bacterium [Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas)] associated with huanglongbing (HLB). The work, published in the journal Biofilm, describes a new …

rubio

Rubio Secures Funding for Citrus Greening

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, Industry News Release, Legislative

The Senate passed an appropriations minibus package that included critical funds for Florida secured by Senator Rubio (H.R 3055, Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act of 2020). In his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Rubio secured major funds for Florida’s citrus industry:  $8.5 million …

citrus greening

Studying Citrus Greening with an Integrated Approach

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, Diseases, HLB Management, Industry News Release, Psyllids, Research

While citrus growers continue to look for best management approaches to deal with the deadly greening disease, scientists will take an integrated look at how to protect young trees by using existing tools growers can use. Five scientists from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will compare insect management tools, including insect-proof netting. Researchers also …

citrus greening

Study Zeroes in on Organic Ways to Beat Citrus Greening

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, HLB Management, Industry News Release, Research

Results show promise for organic groves, but more research is needed. Since it was first discovered in the United States in 2005, the bacterial disease known as citrus greening, or Huanglongbing, has devastated millions of acres of citrus crops throughout this country and abroad, ravaging citrus groves in Asia, Africa and South America. Citrus greening has impacted conventional and organic …

hlb

Speeding Up Citrus Greening Research

Tacy Callies Industry News Release

Clewiston, FL – U.S. Sugar, in a partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife Research, announced a significant step forward in research efforts fighting diseases impacting food crops, including citrus greening. Early-stage research has demonstrated promise in rapidly culturing and propagating fastidious pathogens and microbes, including those that cause citrus greening, and enabling testing a broad range of antimicrobial solutions. “This cutting-edge …