Brazil's citrus sector, which accounts for 8.2 per cent of exports and around 45,000 jobs in the state of São Paulo, is facing continued pressure from greening, also known as Huanglongbing. The disease is regarded as the most destructive bacterial threat to citrus worldwide.
First identified in Brazil in 2004, greening has led to the loss of around 65 million citrus trees in São Paulo, which were removed as part of control measures.
In response, the São Paulo Research Foundation FAPESP, the Citrus Defense Fund Fundecitrus, and the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture at the University of São Paulo ESALQ-USP have established the Applied Research Center in Innovation and Sustainability in Citrus Farming, ARC-Citros. The agreement was signed on 12 January at an event held at ESALQ-USP.
"We're replicating, now, with the creation of the center, the successful model for combating Xylella [which causes citrus variegated chlorosis, a disease popularly known as yellowing], which occurred 25 years ago and affected citrus farming in São Paulo," said Marco Antonio Zago, president of FAPESP.
FAPESP and Fundecitrus previously collaborated on the Genome Project, which sequenced the genome of Xylella fastidiosa in 2000. "We're talking here, now, about an alliance between researchers, citrus growers, and state agencies to solve a practical problem in society," Zago said.
The centre will receive BRL 200 million, about US$40 million, over the next five years, with the option of renewal for a further five years. Of this total, BRL 90 million, around US$18 million, will be provided by FAPESP and Fundecitrus. ARC-Citros will initially involve 75 researchers from 19 institutions, including ESALQ-USP, UFSCar, UNICAMP, UNESP, the Agronomy and Biology Institutes, and EMBRAPA, as well as partners from Portugal, France, Spain, the United States, and Australia.
"We hope that this research network will create synergy between laboratories, so that researchers can talk and share results, enabling us to make progress in combating greening," said Lilian Amorim, professor at ESALQ-USP and director of ARC-Citros.
According to Amorim, the centre responds to increased greening incidence after 2022. "The center's short-term goal is to stop the epidemic and promote the sustainability of citrus farming in São Paulo," she said.
Data presented by Zago, based on USDA figures, indicate a 7.5 per cent increase in greening incidence in São Paulo, affecting more than 60 per cent of trees in production areas such as Limeira, Porto Ferreira, and Avaré. In response, the state Department of Agriculture and Supply inspected more than 17,000 properties last year and removed over 60,000 non-compliant seedlings.
Brazil produces about 75 per cent of global orange juice output, according to USP dean Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior, who said no single laboratory is likely to resolve greening alone.
Source: Agência FAPESP
