Citrus Greening Research Is Starting to Show Promise

We regularly report on the money being invested in citrus greening research. And while Florida has suffered the greatest losses, this disease is very much on the minds of California citrus growers, too. So it's encouraging to see some promising findings emerging from that work.

At the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, researchers are testing potential therapies by injecting them directly into the trunks of citrus trees in commercial groves.

Researcher Lukas Hallman says they're testing everything from antibiotics to naturally derived compounds.

So far, they've screened more than 400 potential treatments, with about 20 showing enough promise to move into further testing.

And the research is reaching beyond citrus. Hallman is collaborating with USDA scientists in Washington state, applying lessons learned in Florida to a bacterial disease affecting peaches and cherries.

The goal is to find practical treatments for citrus greening while exploring whether those discoveries could help protect other crops as well.