The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today the Citrus Research and Development Foundation in Lake Alfred, Florida will receive nine million dollars for research to stop and prevent transmission of the bacterial disease called citrus greening.
A University of Florida study shows citrus greening has cost the state more than 3.6 billion dollars in lost revenues and more than 6,600 jobs since 2006. The first outbreak of the disease was confirmed in 2005 and it’s since spread to every citrus-growing area in Florida. A bug called the psyllid carries the bacteria that infects trees. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the grant money will be used to develop a way to replace carrier psyllids with ones that are incapable of carrying and spreading the disease.
"And that money will be used for research to look at ways in which we can block insects from going from diseased trees to healthy trees and to institute new biological control systems which we hope will interfere and ultimately interrupt the citrus greening epidemic that’s struck the state,” said Vilsack.
Greening can kill a tree within five years of infection. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, who pushed the federal government for the money, said Vilsack earmarked two million dollars for research last year and fast tracked this new allocation. Citrus greening is spreading to other parts of the U.S. and is endemic in large parts of Asia and Africa, and Latin America. Nelson said if we don’t find a cure we’re not going to have a citrus industry.
“And oh by the way it’s not just Florida, greening has already been found in Texas and although they say they don’t have it in Arizona they have it they just don’t know it because it’s come across the Mexican border. And then of course the citrus industry in California as well,” said Nelson.
This grant announcement – part of 46 million dollars in specialty crop research - came the same day the Farm Bill expired.
This video from the Florida Department of Agriculture explains Citrus Greening Disease and the response program: