IFAS News
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – University of Florida
Citrus greening costs $3.63 billion in lost revenues and 6,611 jobs, new UF study shows
January 24, 2012
Topic(s): Agriculture, Citrus, Economics, Environment, Invasive Species, Pests
Since 2006, the bacterial disease citrus greening has cost Florida’s economy an estimated $3.63 billion in lost revenues and 6,611 jobs by reducing orange juice production, according to a new study from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
The study is the first complete assessment of greening’s economic impact on Florida, said Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources. He called the study an important step in the fight against greening, because it quantifies damages and could show legislators and funding agencies why the invasive disease is one of the state’s biggest challenges.
“This study shows plainly just how imperative it is that we find a cure for citrus greening,” Payne said. “We have dedicated a huge amount of IFAS resources toward that end, and we are very appreciative of the significant support our research is receiving from the citrus industry. Growers are the people most obviously impacted, but the study demonstrates that many other Floridians are hurt as well—when fewer oranges are harvested, there are fewer dollars circulating in our state’s economy.”
First detected in Florida in 2005, greening causes citrus trees to drop fruit prematurely and eventually kills the trees. The disease is caused by a bacterium, and was first described in 1919 in China. The bacterium is transmitted by an invasive insect, the Asian citrus psyllid.
The study compares actual harvests of oranges used to make juice with projected harvests that would have taken place if greening had never struck Florida groves; it covers the growing seasons from 2006-2007 through 2010-2011. During those five years, the disease caused substantial crop losses, said citrus economist Tom Spreen, a professor with the UF/IFAS food and resource economics department.
UF researchers say they can create grapefruit hybrid that won’t interfere with medicine
October 20, 2011
Topic(s): Citrus, Cultivars, RECs
Caption at bottom. Click here for high resolution image
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For years, doctors and pharmacists have warned people to steer clear of fresh grapefruit or grapefruit juice when taking certain medicines.
But University of Florida researchers now believe within the next few years, they’ll be able to release a grapefruit-pummelo hybrid that those who enjoy the zingy fruit can consume, without risking adverse side effects from their medicine.
The researchers’ findings are presented in the current issue of the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. (more…)
Blue light discourages molds that spoil citrus fruit, UF researcher says
October 20, 2011
Topic(s): Agriculture, Citrus, New Technology
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One species of Penicillium fungus gave humanity the miracle drug penicillin; some of its cousins give the citrus industry headaches.
Commonly known as green mold and blue mold, respectively, the fungi Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum spoil recently harvested fruit. But researchers with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have found an environmentally friendly way to address the problem—using blue light to activate natural defenses within the fruit.
A study published in the current issue of the journal Postharvest Biology and Technology showed that tangerines inoculated with P. digitatum spores had a 100 percent infection rate when kept in constant darkness or constant white light for six days. When kept in constant blue light the rate was 50 percent. And when kept on a schedule that alternated 12 hours of blue light exposure with 12 hours of darkness, the infection rate was only 25 percent.
These preliminary findings suggest that certain light wavelengths activate an enzyme called phospholipase, which kick-starts the tangerine’s immune response, said Jackie Burns, director of UF’s Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred and one of the study authors.
UF: Insecticide resistance developing in psyllid that carries citrus disease
May 9, 2011
Topic(s): Agriculture, Citrus, Crops, Entomology and Nematology, IFAS, Invasive Species, Pests, Uncategorized
Caption at bottom. Click here for high resolution image.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In Florida’s war against citrus greening, producers face a new threat — the insects they’re fighting are becoming less sensitive to insecticides, according to a new University of Florida study.
“Our investigations to date are showing that insecticide resistance in Asian citrus psyllids is a reality,” said Lukasz Stelinski, an author of the study and an entomologist at UF’s Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.
“Resistance is showing up,” he said. “But the levels that we have documented to date are not high enough to cause product failures.”
Greening was first detected in Florida in 2005 and is a major threat to Florida’s $9 billion citrus industry. The incurable disease has wiped out citrus crops in other parts of the world.
Jacqueline Burns named UF Citrus Research and Education Center Director
April 13, 2011
Topic(s): Announcements, Citrus, RECs
Jackie Burns
Click here for high resolution image
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jack Payne, the University of Florida’s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, has announced Jacqueline Burns’ appointment as director of the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.
“Jackie Burns is a tremendous leader and a pre-eminent researcher in her own right. I believe very strongly in her leadership abilities and her vision for the Citrus REC,” Payne said. “She knows what the state’s citrus growers need and want and works tirelessly to ensure that our scientists get the most pertinent, valuable information to them.”
Burns has served as the CREC’s interim director since early 2009, following the departure of Harold Browning, who had held the director position since 1997. (more…)
UF food safety experts help give FDA personnel insight to Florida produce
March 21, 2011
Topic(s): Aquaculture, Citrus, Conservation, Crops, Cultivars, Economics, Environment, Invasive Species, Pests
Cutline at bottom. Click here for high-resolution image.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — To help federal officials understand the produce industries they regulate, University of Florida food safety experts recently took part in a cross-state tour that provided a behind-the-scenes look at growers’ operations and food safety efforts.
Five faculty members gave presentations highlighting their work to enhance the safety and quality of fruit and vegetable crops. The March 8-10 tour brought a delegation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other agencies to 15 farms and packinghouses.
Organizers hope the tour leaves a lasting impression, one that may prompt attendees to see regulatory issues from a broader perspective, said Martha Roberts, special assistant to the dean for research with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
“It’s critical that the people regulating agricultural crops have the knowledge and experience of seeing how the crops are grown, harvested, packed, repacked, shipped and sold,” Roberts said.
Disease-carrying Asian citrus psyllids find refuge in abandoned groves, UF study shows
February 18, 2011
Topic(s): Agriculture, Citrus, Entomology and Nematology, Environment, IFAS, Invasive Species, Pests
Cutline at bottom. Click here for high-resolution image.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For years, citrus growers have feared that abandoned groves provided refuge for the Asian citrus psyllid, an invasive insect that transmits citrus greening—now, University of Florida researchers say they were right.
A study published in the current issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology shows that the psyllid not only survives in abandoned groves, it often travels to commercially active groves nearby, bringing along the bacterium responsible for the disease.
First detected in Florida in 2005, greening is incurable and fatal to citrus trees. It is considered the biggest threat to the state’s $9 billion citrus industry. Asian citrus psyllids pick up the greening bacterium by feeding on sap from infected trees and later transmit the pathogen while feeding on healthy trees.
The results underscore the need for landowners to remove or destroy unmanaged trees, something the state is urging, said entomologist Lukasz Stelinski, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and one of the study’s authors.
“There was very much anecdotal evidence that these abandoned areas are harboring citrus psyllids,” Stelinski said. “It’s just one of those things that had to be confirmed.”
UF-led team sequences first-ever citrus genomes; discovery may help thwart greening
January 18, 2011
Topic(s): Citrus, New Technology, RECs
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A University of Florida-led group of international scientists has assembled the genome sequences for two citrus varieties—sweet orange and Clementine mandarin—marking a first for citrus.
The Clementine mandarin sequence is the higher quality of the two, but both are expected to help scientists unravel the secrets behind citrus diseases such as greening, a deadly threat to the state’s $9 billion citrus industry, as well as aiding those working to improve fruit flavor and quality.
Florida citrus industry officials said they were thrilled, and relieved, by the news.
“The publication of the sweet orange and tangerine genomes will accelerate the discovery of innovative solutions to a myriad of pest and disease problems that threaten citrus production,” said Dan Gunter, chief operating officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation Inc.
Michael W. Sparks, executive vice president and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, a trade organization comprised of 8,000 members, called genomics “the future of not only Florida citrus, but the entire global citrus industry.”
“It is exciting to see breakthroughs such as the release of these (genome) assemblies and I am confident the talented scientists working on this project will eventually propagate a citrus cultivar that withstands disease pressure and allows consumers worldwide to continue enjoying nutritious citrus products,” he said.
The genome sequences, the result of at least four years’ worth of study and $3.5 million invested by several countries, were announced Saturday at the International Plant and Animal Genome Conference in San Diego.
The announcement comes just weeks after a similar announcement that another international team, led by UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and Virginia Tech scientists, had published the DNA sequence for the strawberry.
The Clementine mandarin genome came from a haploid, meaning it has a single set of chromosomes. The scientists used a more detailed method of obtaining its genome sequence, which was more expensive, but provides longer strings of DNA, said UF’s Fred Gmitter, a horticultural sciences professor and Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences member who led the effort.
“For us, it means it gives you longer reads, longer pieces—so that you’re assembling a jigsaw puzzle out of a million pieces, instead of out of 25 million smaller pieces,” Gmitter said. “What’s most important is to have this high-quality, original haploid reference sequence. And we did that.”
The team that worked to obtain the gene sequence for the Clementine mandarin included scientists from the University of Florida, Italy, Brazil, France and Spain and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI). Simultaneously, work was being done to obtain the diploid sweet orange sequence by scientists from UF, JGI, Georgia Tech and 454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company.
“I’m proud that our scientists helped lead the way in this world-class research,” said Mark McLellan, IFAS’ dean for research. “We believe having these genome sequences will greatly help the state’s citrus industry, as well as citrus growers around the world.”
Since its discovery in Florida in 2005, greening has caused havoc in the citrus industry. It has wiped out some citrus crops in Asia, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Brazil. Greening slowly weakens and kills all types of citrus trees, while rendering fruit malformed and discolored.
But while the two new genome sequences may provide just the tool scientists need to help them solve the greening crisis, Gmitter said having them is “really much, much, bigger than that.”
Some of the possibilities, he said, include citrus trees with more beautiful fruit, better disease resistance, more phytonutrients, and tolerance for salt, bad soil or extreme temperatures.
California citrus grower Earl Rutz, vice chairman of that state’s Citrus Research Board, praised what he called “the first of its kind as a true international collaboration with benefits for all in the citrus research community.”
Peter McClure, a Florida citrus grower and former chairman of the Florida Citrus Research Production Advisory Council, called the genome sequences great news for the citrus industry, which has often battled serious foes in weather and disease.
“From a global perspective, unless sustainable solutions are found citrus will also become extinct for many subsistence level farmers around the globe that utilize citrus as an important fresh fruit nutrient source as well as an important high-value cash crop,” McClure said. “HLB (greening) is an extremely complicated disease problem, and sequencing the citrus genome is a real breakthrough towards solving HLB. There is still a lot of work to do, but this gets us closer.”
Ted Batkin, president of the California Citrus Research Board, praised the work, saying the new information could allow breeding of new varieties specific to geographic regions.
“The importance of a complete genome sequence cannot be stressed enough,” he said.
Contacts
Writer: Mickie Anderson, 352-273-3566, mickiea@ufl.edu
Sources: Fred Gmitter, 863-956-1151, ext. 1301, fgmitter@ufl.edu
Mark McLellan, 352-392-1784, mrm1@ufl.edu
UF agricultural honorary organizes national service project to feed Central Florida’s hungry
December 20, 2010
Topic(s): Agriculture, CALS, Citrus, IFAS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Gleaning, the age-old practice of collecting discarded crops from harvested fields, is getting new attention as a way for volunteers to supply soup kitchens and other charities with low-cost food.
This weekend, college students from across the country will converge on Orlando to glean citrus fruit from local groves. Then they’ll deliver, prepare and serve it in homeless shelters as part of a project organized by the University of Florida chapter of the agricultural honorary society Alpha Zeta.
It’s the first time UF’s chapter has hosted the organization’s annual holiday project, said Erika Schwarz, a UF animal sciences senior and coordinator of the event.
Alpha Zeta is the nation’s oldest honorary society for students majoring in agricultural disciplines. Founded in 1897, it has 70 chapters nationwide and promotes leadership, academic achievement and public service.
“We’ve gotten great response to the idea,” Schwarz said, noting that online registration filled up early, with 30 students signed on. “Gleaning is easy to organize and it has immediate results. It’s just a matter of getting the manpower and doing the manual labor.”
Coca-Cola and Cutrale announce $3 million in donations to boost citrus research
December 20, 2010
Topic(s): Agriculture, Citrus, Invasive Species, Pests
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Coca-Cola and Cutrale Citrus Juices announced today at a meeting of the Florida Citrus Mutual in Lake Alfred that they have each pledged $1.5 million to the University of Florida for research programs.
The contributions will be used to fund sustainable research programs managed by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, known as CRDF, a direct support organization of UF aimed at eliminating the threat of Citrus Huanglongbing, a disease commonly known as “greening.” HLB is one of the most destructive diseases of citrus crops, debilitating the productive capacity of citrus trees.
“In making this contribution, Coca-Cola and Cutrale will greatly enhance the ability of scientists at IFAS and around the world to find answers to this catastrophic problem,” said Jack Payne, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources at the University of Florida.
