Bayer CropScience and the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation have announced that they are joining forces to fight citrus greening disease, which continues to threaten the US state's US$9bn citrus industry.
In an effort to find a solution for the disease, which has cost the state some US$4.5bn in lost crops, Bayer has announced a three-year programme for citrus greening research, with a US$200,000 grant awarded to the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CDRF).
Citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB), is a devastating disease impacting the nation’s orange and other citrus crops. Healthy citrus trees can produce fruit for multiple decades, however, once infected with HLB, trees can yield discoloured, inedible fruit and can die in as little as five years.
“With this new initiative we continue our focus on finding innovative alternatives to improve the sustainability and economic value of crops from the field all the way to consumers,” said Rob Schrick, horticulture business lead at Bayer CropScience. “Florida Specialty Crop Foundation and CRDF are natural partners for us in this effort, as both organisations have the citrus expertise and outstanding research capabilities needed to combat this serious disease.”
In its first year, the grant will support CRDF’s existing research on HLB and Asian citrus psyllid, the insect that serves as the vector for HLB. For the remaining years, the collaboration partners will convene to discuss the state of the industry and determine the necessary research.
“Bayer CropScience is dedicated to providing innovative solutions for the food chain,” said Florida Specialty Crop Foundation Executive Director Sonia Tighe. “We are honoured that Bayer continues to partner with our foundation to meet the needs of growers and the citrus industry.'
