Sacramento, Calif., (February 26, 2018) – The California Citrus Research Board (CRB) has received an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Achievement Award for its work in establishing biological controls for the Asian citrus psyllid.
Joint ACP Biocontrol Task Force honorees this month at the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s annual integrated pest management awards ceremony. From left, Dr. Mark Hoddle of UC Riverside, Dr. Gregory Simmons of USDA, Dr. David Morgan of CDFA, Department of Pesticide Regulation director Brian Leahy, and Jim Gorden, chair of the task force.
The awards, bestowed annually by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), recognize organizations that use IPM to address the diverse pest management needs throughout California. IPM is a tool that allows the management of pests by using natural and preventative strategies, and thus reducing the use of chemical pesticides.
In 2010, the CRB established a task force to help control an invasive insect pest called Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), a serious threat to the citrus industry. Psyllids can infect citrus trees with a bacteria that causes huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease. There is no cure for HLB and it is fatal to trees. The CRB Joint Agency Biological Control Task Force is comprised of CDFA, the University of California-Riverside, the USDA and Cal Poly-Pomona.
Instead of relying solely on conventional pesticides to fight the psyllid, the task force developed a program using natural predators as a means of reducing ACP populations. The task force imported, reared and studied parasitic wasps from Pakistan that kill ACPs. These wasps are a key part of the first biocontrol program that successfully targeted and reduced ACP populations in urban areas and citrus orchards, in some cases replacing pesticide applications at sensitive urban sites. The project has been successfully implemented in eight counties – San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, and Santa Barbara.
The CRB officially received recognition from DPR earlier this month at an awards ceremony in Sacramento.
As the CA citrus industry works to fight the HLB disease carrying Asian Citrus Psyllid from destroying the industry, the California Citrus Clonal Protection Program is playing a key role in preparing the industry for battle. Watch this interview with Georgios Vidalakis, Director of the program as he explains. Read more in California Fresh Fruit Magazine.
Davis, Calif., (December 15, 2017) – For the first time in 70 years, California has surpassed Florida in citrus production. Florida groves have been decimated by a disease called huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease, that threatens citrus production in California, too.
Over time, fruit of HLB-infected trees begins to turn green and develop a bitter, metallic taste. (Elizabeth Chin / UC Davis)
“HLB is not just bad for farmers and the economy,” said Professor Carolyn Slupsky, a biochemist and nutritionist with the University of California, Davis. “The loss of fresh oranges and other citrus is a real possibility and that would seriously impact our health.”
Slupsky and other UC Davis experts are working with farmers and fellow scientists to develop early detection methods, boost tree immunity and find a cure for the devastating disease.
California farmers sold nearly 4 million tons of citrus in the 2016–17 marketing season, compared to 3.5 million tons from Florida, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Florida produced twice as much citrus as California as recently as the 2011–12 season.
Florida didn’t lose its top spot because the Golden State is producing more citrus. In fact, California farmers produced 14 percent fewer fresh oranges this season.
A silent killer – Citrus greening disease is caused by a bacterium that is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, a tiny insect that feeds on the leaves and stems of citrus trees. A tree infected with HLB can live for years without symptoms, allowing the pathogen to spread undetected to other trees. Symptoms emerge over time as a tree’s fruit starts to turn green and misshapen with a bitter, metallic taste.
HLB is a global threat. Beyond Florida, the disease has destroyed groves in Asia, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. The disease has been spotted in about 250 backyard trees in Southern California, but so far California’s commercial orchards have been spared. Researchers are hard at work to keep it that way.
An international team of scientists led by UC Davis chemical ecology expert Walter Leal recently identified the molecule that attracts the Asian citrus psyllid, which may help researchers develop a less toxic way to trap the insect to slow the disease’s spread.
Slupsky is taking a different tack. She and her team are using nuclear magnetic resonance technology to study how the pathogen affects the metabolism of the tree. Her research shines a light on HLB’s mode of attack.
“The pathogen seems to cause havoc with a tree’s ability to defend itself from infection,” Slupsky said. “That’s a spectacular discovery, because when we understand the mechanisms behind the attack we have a chance at blocking them and boosting a tree’s natural immunity.”
Working with Kris Godfrey, an associate project scientist at the UC Davis Contained Research Facility, and Michelle Heck at Cornell University, Slupsky found differences in the chemical fingerprint of leaves starting very early in the infection process. With further research, she believes that she can develop a chemical profile to provide a reliable, rapid and early indicator of the presence of infection.
“Early detection is key,” Slupsky said. “If we can catch the disease early in the infection and get rid of the infected trees, we can hopefully slow down the spread of HLB enough to give scientists time to find a cure.”
Disease-resistant rootstocks – Breeders are working to develop HLB-resistant rootstock, which is one of the most promising avenues to a cure. Researchers are also looking at whether they can transform the psyllid to prevent its ability to spread HLB. UC Davis plant pathologist Bryce Falk is leading a search to find and engineer viruses that can induce traits in the insect that prevent it from transmitting the bacterium.
Breeding rootstock and engineering viruses takes time. In the meantime, backyard citrus growers can help keep HLB at bay by monitoring their trees for signs of psyllids or infection and removing trees that are infected or near infected trees.
How can you recognize signs of the disease? This website provides photos and tips on what to look for and how to control the pests.
Slupsky says that together, farmers, gardeners and science can help save citrus and the nourishment it provides.
“From a nutritional standpoint, it’s hard to beat fresh citrus,” Slupsky said. “Oranges provide energy, fiber and a wide variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. They’re one of the most consumed fruits in the United States. I can’t imagine life without fresh citrus.”
Davis, Calif., (December 8, 2017) – The Asian citrus psyllid, the most devastating threat to the worldwide citrus industry, may have met its match.
Orange trees are being monitored for Asian citrus psyllids, a devastating threat to oranges and other citrus. Infected psyllids transmit the deadly citrus greening disease known as Huanglongbing (HLB). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
In a ground-breaking discovery encompassing six years of research, an international team of scientists led by UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal announced they’ve identified the sex pheromone of the pest, which feeds on citrus and transmits the bacteria that causes the deadly citrus greening disease known as Huanglongbing (HLB).
Leal, a native of Brazil and a fellow of both the Entomological Society of America and the Entomological Society of Brazil, revealed the discovery during his presentation Dec. 5 at the 10th Annual Brazilian Meeting of Chemical Ecology in Sao Paulo. His team included scientists from UC Davis, University of Sao Paulo, and the Fund for Citrus Protection (FUNDECITRUS) from the state of Sao Paulo.
“Dr. Leal’s discovery of the Asian citrus psyllid pheromone is a significant breakthrough in preventing the spread of this serious citrus insect, and may offer a less toxic method for its control,” said integrated pest management specialist Frank Zalom, distinguished professor with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and a past president of the Entomological Society of America. He was not involved in the study.
“Having a lure to dramatically improve captures of this psyllid with the conventional sticky traps is a major progress toward integrated pest management,” said Professor Jose Robert Parra of the University of Sao Paulo.
Identifying the sex pheromone proved “complicated and quite a challenge” because of the insect’s complex behavior and biology, said Leal, a UC Davis distinguished professor who has discovered the sex pheromones of moths, beetles, bugs, cockroaches, mites and other arthropods. A patent was filed Friday, Dec. 1, and journal publication is pending.
Citrus trees infected with HLB usually die within five years, according to the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. There is no known cure. “The only way to protect trees is to prevent spread of the HLB pathogen in the first place, by controlling psyllid populations and removing and destroying any infected trees,” UC IPM says on its website.
This is the Asian citrus psyllid, a mottled brown insect about 3 to 4 millimeters long, or about the size of an aphid. Widespread throughout Southern California, it is now found in 26 of the state’s 58 counties. (CDFA Photo)
Native to Asia, the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina ciri, was first detected in the United States in June 1998 in Palm Beach County, Florida, and in California in August 2008 in San Diego County. Scientists discovered HLB in Florida in August 2005, and in Los Angeles in March 2012. The mottled brown insect, about 3 to 4 millimeters long, or about the size of an aphid, is now widespread throughout Southern California and is now found in 26 of the state’s 58 counties.
The Asian citrus psyllid, or ACP, feeds on new leaf growth of oranges, lemons, mandarins, grapefruit and other citrus, as well as some related plants. Infected psyllids can transmit the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, which causes the fatal citrus disease. An early symptom of HLB in citrus is the yellowing of leaves on an individual limb or in a sector of a tree’s canopy.
Currently growers are using yellow sticky traps to detect the insect and to monitor the population. “Efficient lures,” Leal said, “are sorely needed for sticky traps, particularly for early ACP detection. Otherwise, growers have to resort to regular sprays to avoid infection given that infected insects from gardens and noncommercial areas migrate to citrus farms.”
UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal has just diecovered the sex pheromone of the Asian citrus phyillid. He has also discovered the sex pheromones of a number of other insects, including moths (background). Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey
Pheromones and other semiochemicals are widely used in agriculture and medical entomology. “Growers use them as lures in trapping systems for monitoring and surveillance, as well as for strategies for controlling populations, such as mating disruption and attraction-and-kill systems,” Leal noted.
Although ACP is present in Arizona and California, the disease itself has not been established, Leal said. “The emphasis is on detection, eradication and limiting the spread of the disease. In Florida, where HLB is widespread, monitoring ACP populations is essential to avoid reinfection after eradication of infected plants.”
The detection of the pest has led to widespread eradication of citrus trees in China, Brazil and the United States. “In Brazil as many as 46.2 million citrus trees, representing 26 percent of the currently planted trees, have been eradicated since the detection of HLB in 2004,” Leal said. “In Florida, HLB has caused severe losses to the citrus industry. This year’s production loss is estimated to be about 28 million fewer boxes of oranges than in 2014-2015.”
UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal (left) talks with FUNDECITRIS director Juliano Ayres on Dec. 5 at the 10th Annual Meeting of Chemical Ecology in Sao Paulo.
The announcement of the discovery coincides with the 40th anniversary celebration of FUNDECITRUS in Araraquara, Sao Paolo. “I am delighted that Walter Leal accepted our challenge to work on this project as the lead investigator,” said Juliano Ayres, FUNDECITRUS director. “The combination of his work ethics and qualifications are unparalleled. And, he loves challenges.”
In response to the ACP invasion in California, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has launched an extensive monitoring program to track the distribution of the insect and disease. They check yellow sticky traps in both residential areas and commercial citrus groves, and also test psyllids and leaf samples for the presence of the pathogen.
Survey methods for ACP include visual inspections, sweep netting, and placement of yellow sticky traps in trees in citrus nurseries, commercial citrus-producing areas and residential properties throughout the state, according to the CDFA. They also place sticky traps in California fruit packing houses, specialty markets, retail stores and airports that receive such produce from areas known to be infested with ACP.
Since August 2008, ACP has now been detected in 26 of California’s 58 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Merced, Monterey, Orange, Placer, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare, Ventura, and Yolo. “The ACP has the potential to establish itself throughout California wherever citrus is grown,” the CDFA says on its website.
CDFA has set up a hotline at 1-800-491-1899 for residents to report suspicious insects or disease symptoms in their citrus trees.
Sacramento, Calif., (August 31, 2017) – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have established a 94-square mile quarantine in portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties following the detection of the citrus disease huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, in a single citrus tree in the city of Riverside. HLB is a deadly disease of citrus plants and closely related species, and can be transmitted from tree to tree by the Asian citrus psyllid.
The quarantine boundaries are on the north, Interstate 10; on the east, Box Springs Mountain Reserve; on the west, Riverside Municipal Airport; and on the south, East Alessandro Boulevard. HLB quarantine maps for Riverside and San Bernardino counties are available online at:www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pe/InteriorExclusion/hlb_quarantine.html. Please check this link for future quarantine expansions in these counties, should they occur. Quarantines are already in place for HLB in portions of Los Angeles and Orange counties.
The quarantine will prohibit the movement of all citrus nursery stock out of the area, while maintaining existing provisions allowing the movement of only commercially cleaned and packed citrus fruit. Any fruit that is not commercially cleaned and packed, including residential citrus, must not be removed from the property on which it is grown, although it may be processed and/or consumed on the premises.
Residents are urged to take several steps to help protect citrus trees:
Do not move citrus plants, leaves or foliage into or out of the quarantine area, or across state or international borders. Keep it local.
Cooperate with agricultural crews placing traps, inspecting trees and treating for the pest.
If you no longer wish to care for your citrus tree, consider removing it so it does not become a host to the pest and disease.
DFA crews have already removed the infected tree and are in the midst of a treatment program for citrus trees to knock down Asian citrus psyllid infestations within 800 meters of the find site. By taking these steps, a critical reservoir of the disease and its vectors will be removed, which is essential to protect the surrounding citrus from this deadly disease.
HLB is a bacterial disease that attacks the vascular system of plants. It does not pose a threat to humans or animals. The Asian citrus psyllid can spread the bacteria as the pest feeds on citrus trees and other plants. Once a tree is infected, there is no cure; it typically declines and dies within a few years.
CDFA, in partnership with the USDA, local county agricultural commissioners and the citrus industry, continues to pursue a strategy of controlling the spread of the Asian citrus psyllids while researchers work to find a cure for the disease.
Riverside, Calif., (August 4, 2017) – The incurable citrus tree disease huanglongbing, or HLB, has been detected in Los Angeles and Orange counties and most recently in Riverside. The citrus disease is spread from tree to tree by Asian citrus psyllids, the insects that move the bacteria that cause huanglongbing.
There is no known treatment for huanglongbing, which kills citrus trees.
Citrus trees infected with huanglongbing develop mottled leaves and produce fruit that is misshapen, stays green and tastes bitter. There is no known treatment for the disease, which usually kills the tree within three to five years, according to UC Cooperative Extension specialist Beth Grafton-Cardwell.
Huanglongbing, which is also known as citrus greening, has already devastated the citrus industries in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas.
You can help prevent this disease from destroying California’s citrus as well as your own trees.
Look for yellowed leaves on citrus trees. Nutritional deficiencies can also cause citrus trees to have yellow leaves so it is important to know the difference. Nutrient deficiency causes a similar pattern of yellowing on both sides of the leaf. HLB causes blotchy yellow mottling and is not the same on both sides of the leaf.
To identify the Asian citrus psyllid and the disease symptoms of HLB, see the fact sheets, videos in English and Spanish and other resources at http://ucanr.edu/acp.
If you see any trees that display symptoms of huanglongbing, contact your local agriculture commissioner.
Ventura, Calif., (August 3, 2017) – With two magnifying loops around her neck and a truck stocked with vials and tools for insect collection, Joanne O’Sullivan scouts Ventura County citrus orchards every day. She walks the perimeter, examining newly emerging leaves and tapping branches with a PVC wand to bat pests onto her clipboard.
O’Sullivan is one of four scouts hired and trained by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources scientists to carefully and continuously monitor citrus orchards for Asian citrus psyllid, an invasive pest in California that can spread the devastating huanglongbing disease.
Joanne O’Sullivan is one of the scouts hired by UC to search for and collect Asian citrus psyllids.
In Florida, where the pest was left unchecked when it first invaded citrus growing regions, the disease swept through the state. Citrus production in the Sunshine State plummeted 60 percent in 15 years.
“We don’t want to let that happen here,” said Beth Grafton-Cardwell, UC Cooperative Extension entomology specialist. Grafton-Cardwell hired O’Sullivan and her colleagues who monitor citrus in San Diego, Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino counties to scour dozens of orchards to document how treatments to control ACP are working. Next year scouts will be added in Tulare and Kern counties.
When ACP are found, they are carefully bottled and sent to the lab to determine whether they carry the bacterium that causes huanglongbing disease.
The expansive ACP monitoring effort is funded by a $1.45 million multi-agency coordination grant from the USDA. The project funds promising tools and long-term solutions to reduce the spread of huanglongbing. Led by Neil McRoberts, a professor of plant pathology at UC Davis, the grant also provides funds for two other activities.
O’Sullivan taps branches with a PVC wand to knock off insects.
One is a collaboration with California Citrus Mutual to offer free citrus tree removal to homeowners in areas where HLB is known to occur. The second is modeling data from the CDFA HLB survey program, in which psyllids and symptomatic plant tissue are tested for the bacteria. Trees may have the disease but not show symptoms, so testing the psyllids is a more effective way to find infected trees. The modeling work will improve the ability to predict the locations of infected trees.
However, the main thrust is monitoring citrus treatments and their impacts on the ACP population with a team of scouts. A mix of conventional and organic farmers and growers who use biological integrated pest management programs to manage their orchards were recruited for the project. The farmers make ACP treatment decisions informed by research results that show the best treatments and timing.
“Most growers are coordinating their treatments to get a bigger bang for their buck,” Grafton-Cardwell said.
With just six months of data, the monitoring program has already yielded important information about Asian citrus psyllid.
“We’re seeing more psyllids on the borders than the centers of groves,” Grafton-Cardwell said. “And so eventually, we will make recommendations that at certain times of year or when populations are low, the grower will only need to spray the borders of the grove.”
If she finds ACP, O’Sullivan places them in vials to be sent to a lab for testing to determine whether they are carrying the bacterium that causes huanglongbing disease.
This will reduce costs and the impact of pesticides on natural enemies.
“The early data have also revealed which chemicals are the most effective for psyllid control. We’ve found that organic growers need to be more aggressive in the frequency of treatments, because the organic insecticides are not as effective as conventional insecticides,” she said.
At 8 of the 49 Ventura County ranches in the project, yellow sticky traps were placed in trees to monitor for ACP’s natural enemies, including lady bugs, green lacewings, and Tamorixia radiata, tiny wasps from Pakistan that were released in California to battle ACP.
When O’Sullivan sees one of the natural enemies at work in the field, she pauses to observe the process.
“Sometimes I’ll see a lacewing munching on an ACP and I’ll say, ‘Go man, go!’” O’Sullivan said.
Riverside, Calif., (July 27, 2017) – State and federal officials yesterday (7/25) confirmed the presence in Riverside County of citrus greening, a deadly disease for citrus plants that can be transmitted from tree to tree by the Asian citrus psyllid.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the discovery of citrus greening, known as huanglongbing or HLB. The disease was detected in a CDFA sample collected July 10 from a grapefruit tree in a residential neighborhood in the city of Riverside, near the intersection of Chicago and Marlborough avenues. The disease affects citrus and closely related species.
In cooperation with the Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office and USDA, CDFA has begun an extensive survey and treatment program. Crews will remove and dispose of the infected tree and are preparing to treat citrus trees within 800 feet for Asian citrus psyllid infestations. Taking these steps will remove a critical reservoir of the disease and vectors that can spread the disease, an essential tactic in protecting nearby citrus.
The bacterial disease attacks plants’ vascular system but does not pose a threat to humans or animals. The Asian citrus psyllid can spread the bacteria when the pest moves from one location to another, feeding on citrus trees and other plants. Once a tree is infected there is no cure and it typically declines and dies within a few years.
“The discovery of this disease means all citrus trees are at risk — including homegrown trees enjoyed by residents and thousands of acres of trees cared-for by citrus farmers,” said Ruben Arroyo, Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer. “It’s important for residents, growers and agricultural officials to work together to quickly find this disease and stop its spread. I encourage everyone to visit CaliforniaCitrusThreat.org to review symptoms of the disease and report disease sightings.”
A quarantine will be established in the area where HLB was detected. The quarantine prohibits the sale of all host nursery stock and the movement of all host plants and fruits within a five-mile radius of the find, and applies to residents and commercial operations alike.
Riverside has a storied history of citrus production and is home to California Citrus State Historic Park, which preserves the cultural landscape of the citrus industry and tells the story of the industry’s role in the history and development of California. Though not affected by this HLB quarantine, the historic park and all citrus throughout Riverside are threatened by any presence of the disease.
CDFA, in partnership with local agricultural commissioners, USDA and the citrus industry, continues to pursue its strategy of controlling the spread of the Asian citrus psyllids while researchers work to find a cure for the disease.
HLB is known to be present in Mexico and in parts of the southern United States. Florida first detected the pest in 1998 and the disease in 2005. The University of Florida estimates that the disease causes an average loss of 7,513 jobs per year, and has cost growers $3 billion in lost revenue since it was first detected there. The Asian citrus psyllid was first detected in California in 2008.
For more information about ACP or HLB, Riverside County residents may call the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office at (951) 955-3045 or CDFA’s toll-free pest hotline at 1-800-491-1899 or visit: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp/
Exeter, Calif., (June 29, 2017) – Two more trees infected with huanglongbing (HLB) disease were identified and destroyed in the days before UC Cooperative Extension and the Citrus Research Board kicked off their spring Citrus Growers Education Seminar in Exeter June 27. The new infections raise the total number of HLB-infected trees in Los Angeles and Orange counties to 73.
An abandoned orange grove in Florida. (Photo: USDA)
The latest statistic set the stage for spirited discussions about a looming threat that cut Florida citrus production by 60 percent in 15 years. The devastating citrus losses in Florida were recounted by Ed Stover, a plant breeder with USDA Agricultural Research Service in Fort Pierce.
“One of the benefits of coming here is I am reminded how beautiful citrus is,” Stover said. “In Florida, there are more than 130,000 acres of abandoned groves.” He showed slides of trees with thin canopies, pale leaves and green fruit; in one image the trees were skeletons among tall weeds.
Huanglongbing disease is an incurable condition spread by Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). The psyllid, native of Pakistan, Afghanistan and other Asian regions, was first detected in California in 2008. Everywhere ACP is found, the pests find and spread HLB.
Stover and his colleagues are searching for citrus cultivars that have natural tolerance for the bacteria that causes HLB, but progress is slow. Transgenic citrus, he said, is the best bet for developing citrus with HLB immunity.
“In my opinion, commercial genetically engineered citrus is inevitable, and GE crop concerns will likely decline with time,” he said.
In California, the aggressive push to keep psyllid populations low, regulations to limit the spread of psyllids when trucking the fruit, and active scouting for and removal of HLB infected trees in residential areas could buy time for researchers to find a solution before California suffers the fate of Florida citrus growers.
“Be vigilant,” Stover said. “As long as you are still making a good return, there is almost no investment too great if it keeps HLB out of California.”
UCCE specialist Beth Grafton-Cardwell outlines research underway to detect huanglongbing disease of citrus.
Once a tree is infected, it takes nine months to two years for the bacteria to spread throughout the tree, so that when leaves are selected for testing, they detect the bacteria. Capturing and testing psyllids is one way to to find the disease early. Other early detection techniques focus on the microbes, proteins and aromas produced by sick trees.
“These can be measured with leaf test, a VOC (volatile organic compound) sniffer, swab or even dogs,” Grafton-Cardwell said. “Scientists are studying every conceivable way to stop the disease.”
The Citrus Research Board presented UCCE entomology specialist Joseph Morse, center, with a specially commissioned painting for his retirement June 30. Morse spoke at the Exeter meeting about citrus thrips, fuller rose beetle, and avocado thrips.
“We have lots of challenges,” Grafton-Cardwell conceded. “We hate disrupting our beautiful integrated pest management program. But monitor your own groves, apply the most effective treatments and remove suspected (infected) trees. Going through the pain up front will save us in the long run.”
Sacramento, Calif., (January 25, 2017) – The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced four grants totaling more than $13.6 million to combat a scourge on the nation’s citrus industry, citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB). UC Riverside will receive $5,112,000 of that funding for a program to design and identify bactericides that can cure or suppress HLB.
“The economic impact of citrus greening disease is measured in the billions,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “NIFA investments in research are critical measures to help the citrus industry survive and thrive, and to encourage growers to replant with confidence.”
HLB is currently the most devastating citrus disease worldwide. It was first detected in Florida in 2005 and has since affected all of Florida’s citrus-producing areas leading to a 75 percent decline in Florida’s $9 billion citrus industry. HLB has also been detected in Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas, as well as three residential communities in Southern California. Fifteen U.S. States or territories, including California, are under full or partial quarantine due to the presence of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), a vector for HLB.
Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $400 million to address citrus greening, including more than $57 million through the Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program since 2014. Other projects in the current grant award include:
Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, $4,274,523
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, $2,476,099
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Athens, Georgia, $1,821,197
More information on these projects is available on the NIFA website.
