Citrus greening find brings more bad news to Florida
Citrus greening find brings more bad news to Florida
Between battling citrus canker for the past decade, overcoming the damage and destruction caused by a four-hurricane disaster in 2004, and numerous other problems that have plagued Florida's citrus industry in recent years, the state is now faced with the threat and fear of an outbreak of Liberibacter asiaticus, commonly known as citrus greening, a bacterial disease that kills citrus trees.
"From what we have learned so far, the disease is even worse than canker," said Casey Pace, public affairs manager for Florida Citrus Mutual, the member-based trade organization headquartered in Lakeland, FL.
Citrus canker, which is carried from grove to grove predominantly by wind and rain, causes a slow degeneration of trees and fruit. Insects carry citrus greening from tree to tree. The disease first ruins fruit and then kills the trees.
The discovery was made during a Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey, when an entomologist with the Florida Division of Plant Industry was conducting a targeted citrus greening survey in Homestead, FL. Two citrus trees in separate locations showed symptoms of citrus greening, and so were targeted for testing.
The samples were collected from two separate locations in the Homestead area and tested at the departments lab in Gainesville, FL. APHIS National Plant Germplasm & Biotechnology Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, confirmed the find on Sept. 2. A team of experts, including scientists, state and federal agricultural officials and academia, has been established to quickly mobilize a response to the find, and is planning a comprehensive survey of the area to identify the extent of disease spread.
Because of the threat this disease poses to Florida citrus, federal and state agricultural officials have already had discussions to plan the appropriate detection and response initiatives needed if and when the disease was identified in the United States. The USDA has indicated that the early detection of the disease by FDACS and the citrus greening survey is the result of these pre-planning activities.
Citrus greening has been a serious problem in India, Asia, Southeast Asia, the Arabian peninsula and Africa. Although it causes permanent destruction of trees, it does not pose a threat to human health.
A joint science panel is also being convened by APHIS and FDACS to obtain expert advice on the most effective surveillance and control strategies. If the disease is discovered early enough, eradication may be possible.
"From what we have learned so far, the disease is even worse than canker," said Casey Pace, public affairs manager for Florida Citrus Mutual, the member-based trade organization headquartered in Lakeland, FL.
Citrus canker, which is carried from grove to grove predominantly by wind and rain, causes a slow degeneration of trees and fruit. Insects carry citrus greening from tree to tree. The disease first ruins fruit and then kills the trees.
The discovery was made during a Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey, when an entomologist with the Florida Division of Plant Industry was conducting a targeted citrus greening survey in Homestead, FL. Two citrus trees in separate locations showed symptoms of citrus greening, and so were targeted for testing.
The samples were collected from two separate locations in the Homestead area and tested at the departments lab in Gainesville, FL. APHIS National Plant Germplasm & Biotechnology Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, confirmed the find on Sept. 2. A team of experts, including scientists, state and federal agricultural officials and academia, has been established to quickly mobilize a response to the find, and is planning a comprehensive survey of the area to identify the extent of disease spread.
Because of the threat this disease poses to Florida citrus, federal and state agricultural officials have already had discussions to plan the appropriate detection and response initiatives needed if and when the disease was identified in the United States. The USDA has indicated that the early detection of the disease by FDACS and the citrus greening survey is the result of these pre-planning activities.
Citrus greening has been a serious problem in India, Asia, Southeast Asia, the Arabian peninsula and Africa. Although it causes permanent destruction of trees, it does not pose a threat to human health.
A joint science panel is also being convened by APHIS and FDACS to obtain expert advice on the most effective surveillance and control strategies. If the disease is discovered early enough, eradication may be possible.
