Florida citrus on tree

With the threat of Huanglongbing, or citrus greening disease, already looming large, Florida's citrus industry could now face a new challenge in the shape of a rare fungal disease.

According to local publication The Ledger, black spot disease was discovered by an unidentified grower in Immokalee last month on his late-season Valencia oranges, a fact reported by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokeswoman Denise Feiber.

As a result, the Florida Agriculture Department undertook an analysis on 28 March, confirming black spot disease, with the United States Department of Agriculture expected to release an official announcement on the find this week.

Any spread of the disease could, like citrus greening, lead to a rise in production costs, lower yields and less shipping options.

'It seems like we can't catch a break right now,' G. Ellis Hunt of citrus grower and fresh fruit shipper Hunt Bros. Inc. told The Ledger. 'Most growers are up against the wall on the cost of production. Nobody can stand additional costs right now.'

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