University of Florida, Florida State researchers attack citrus greening

International researchers, including team members from Florida State University and the University of Florida, are teaming up to tackle a devastating citrus disease issue through a $4 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Citrus greening is a serious disease that affects Florida citrus production by starving trees of nutrients. Researchers will grow the greening bacterium in the laboratory to conduct experiments that will lead to better understanding of the disease and how to treat it on citrus trees.

"People don't seem to realize the damage this organism has already done to Florida citrus," project director Dean Gabriel said. Gabriel is a professor of plant pathology with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

"Orange production dropped more than 50 percent in the last four years, and the pace is quickening," he said. "Current treatment testing protocols take years to set up and perform because we can't culture and rapidly evaluate efficacy. We simply don't have multiple years left to test new treatments."
  
Citrus greening was first detected in Florida in 2005, resulting in a loss of $7.8 billion in revenue and 7,513 jobs since 2007, according to researchers.

"I do worry about the general public's lack of awareness of citrus greening in Florida," Kathryn Jones, an FSU associate professor of biological science and member of the research team, said. "I think there is a general lack of awareness about food production and the challenges related to that. Citrus greening is one of the biggest problems this state is facing right now."