citrus

National

To Protect Fruit Crops, Scientists Are Putting Them Into A Deep Freeze

10:40am June 14, 2017

by Virginia Gewin

In an effort to save irreplaceable varieties from disease and other threats, plant cuttings are being "cryopreserved" — plunged into liquid nitrogen for later revival.

Hamlin oranges are washed, graded and packed for shipment at the Dundee Citrus Growers Association packing house in Lake Hamilton, Florida.

After A Sour Decade, Florida Citrus May Be Near A Comeback

5:50am December 04, 2016

by Greg Allen

Recent scientific advances have offered some hopes of recovery to Florida's citrus industry, which has been declining over two decades due to a horrible bacterial disease called citrus greening.

Guy Davies, an inspector of the Florida Division of Plant Industry, shows an orange that is showing signs of "citrus greening." The disease is caused by a bacterium carried by the Asian citrus psyllid.

Can A Tiny Wasp Save The Citrus Industry?

10:52pm May 18, 2016

by Amanda Solliday

Citrus greening, spread by a ravenous pest, has destroyed millions of acres of fruit and cost billions in damage. Fortunately, these pernicious peewees are prime prey for another parasitic predator.

Harvesting oranges near Arcadia, Fla. The sacks that workers carry weigh about 90 pounds when they are full of fruit.

Guest Workers, Legal Yet Not Quite Free, Pick Florida's Oranges

10:31am January 28, 2016

by Dan Charles

Most workers who are picking oranges in Florida are temporary "guest" workers from Mexico. They have signed contracts to work only for growers who arranged their visas and provide their housing.

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Oranges ripen in a grove in Plant City, Fla. Citrus greening, a disease spread by a tiny insect that ruins oranges and eventually kills the trees, has put the future of the state's $10 billion citrus industry in doubt.

How Long Can Florida's Citrus Industry Survive?

4:32pm November 27, 2015

by Greg Allen

The USDA recently stunned growers when it projected the smallest orange harvest for Florida in more than 50 years. The culprit: A tiny insect that's killing off the state's trees — and industry.

Ripening fruit in a grove in Plant City, Fla., this month. Florida citrus growers are worried about citrus greening, which causes bacteria to grow on the leaf and fruit, eventually killing the tree.

Time Is Running Out To Save Florida's Oranges

7:15pm December 27, 2013

by Greg Allen

Scientists and growers are in a bitter fight against citrus greening, a disease that has devastated Florida's orange and grapefruit crops. They fear that unless scientists find a cure for greening soon, it's just a matter of time before economic realities and the disease force growers out of business.

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Oranges ripen in a Plant City, Fla., grove on Wednesday. Growers in Florida, Texas and California are worried about citrus greening, a disease that makes the fruit bitter and unmarketable.

USDA Steps Up The Fight To Save Florida's Oranges

7:52am December 13, 2013

by Greg Allen

The agency is launching a new coordinated research effort to stop citrus greening, a disease imported from Asia that turns fruit bitter and unmarketable. It first turned up in Florida eight years. Now, it threatens to destroy the nation's citrus industry.

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