US (FL): Greening remains greatest threat
It's so much of a concern that Rebecca Blue, undersecretary of the USDA, visited the state this week to attend the Citrus Expo at the Lee County Civic Center.
The show was packed with products claiming to offer some protection against the disease. However it has no known cure once it has been contracted.
In addition to the expo, Blue also visited Southwest Florida groves to get a first hand look at the problem.
"The growers get it. They know that agriculture is a tough business," Blue said. "But they're in it because they love it. We're all working towards the common goal of halting the spread of citrus diseases, and that's why collaboration and research are so critical.
"The growers I visited with are willing to see it out until we get those big breakthroughs."
Although the cure remains elusive for the time being, Blue says research has lead to some innovative ideas that are slowing the disease's spread down. She points to nutrient management as an example. This works by supplying the trees with nutrition through a foliar application, enabling them to continue producing fruit, even when infected.
"One of the bigger challenges is the latency period because an infected tree may not show symptoms of HLB for three years," Blue said. "It's very difficult to get ahead of a disease that has a three-year head start."
On July 18, legislation that would provide up to $30 million per year for five years for research to fight greening passed its first obstacle in the U.S. Senate when the Finance Committee voice-approved the bill sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson. Senators will likely vote on the bill later this year.
"It's important to remind folks how important agriculture is," Blue said. "Two percent of Americans are farmers, but 100 percent of us eat. A lot of times we forget exactly where our orange juice is coming from."
Source: naplesnews.com
