All the 250 employees at the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center are - in one way or another - focused on the same thing; the eradication of citrus greening.
Dr. Harold Browning greets me At the Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. reception building. He heads the foundation charged with funding research at the center and at the other universities doing work on greening. For the 6'4" former college basketball player, it's now crunch time in the battle to save the industry."Growers really need help, right now", Browning said.
Citrus greening is a terminal disease. When it infects a tree, its leaves yellow and branches die back. The fruit becomes bitter and unmarketable. They fail to ripen - staying green - and drop to the ground.
The citrus research center was established in 1917, in the heart of Florida's citrus industry. The oldest buildings date back to the 40s or 50s, interspersed among huge, moss covered oaks. There are more than 40 laboratories, plus greenhouses, groves, and the world's largest library devoted to citrus. Scientists and technicians hurry between labs, offices and greenhouses. There's an air of concentrated effort
We cross a roadway to the entymology labs. The bacteria that causes greening is spread by a tiny insect, called a psyllid. So scientists are trying to learn as much as possible about that insect, and how to control it.
"This lab is working on transmission of pathogen by the insect vector so they're looking at the timing of how long does it take for the insect to feed on the plant before they can pick up the bacterium", Browning explained.
At this point, I really want to talk to one of the smiling young scientists that are hurrying around carrying trays or dishes. Dr. Browning apologizes, but says I'm not allowed to speak to anyone. The fear is that someone will say something that might give an orange grower false hope .
"There are a lot of expectations out in the industry, and they're unrealistic, because they're forced by the need that they have", said Browning. "And the scientists who normally work in an environment where they're not being asked every day if they've solved the problem, are moving outside their comfort zone and making comments about progress before it's time."
Browning says that administrators need to protect the scientists, many of whom are quite early in their careers, from outside pressure.
"And if we didn't do that, there would be parades of people here very day wanting to know have we got a solution yet", Browning said.
The urgency is understandable. Greening now affects every citrus-producing county in Florida. Growers are reported losses of up to 40% of their crop. And the most recent USDA estimate of next season's orange crop is down 6%.
The most immediate need is for some kind of therapy that can be given to an infected tree to make it healthy again. The long term goal is to wipe out the disease or find a way to make the trees resistant. Browning says the citrus research foundation is now funding 130 projects.
"Science isn't easy, and I tell people, this is a tremendously complicated system. We have every reason to fail. But we can't afford to."