Strategic Planning for the Florida Citrus Industry

Citrus greening, a disease that reduces yield, compromises the flavor, color, and size of citrus fruit and eventually kills the citrus tree, is now present in all 34 Floridian citrus-producing counties. Caused by an insect-spread bacterial infection, the disease reduced citrus production in 2008 by several percent and continues to spread, threatening the existence of Florida's $9.3 billion citrus industry. A successful citrus greening response will focus on earlier detection of diseased trees, so that these sources of new infections can be removed more quickly, and on new methods to control the insects that carry the bacteria. In the longerterm, technologies such as genomics could be used to develop new citrus strains that are resistant to both the bacteria and the insect.Table of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 Introduction2 Challenges to Citrus Production3 Citrus Greening Research and Development and Industry Preparedness4 Recommendations on Organizational Changes, Technology Development, and Systems Approaches for Minimizing the Impacts of Huanglongbing and Other Diseases and Pests in Florida Citrus5 Strategies for Implementing Plans for Mitigation of Huanglongbing and Other Problems in Citrus ProductionGlossaryReferencesAppendixesAppendix A: Committee Statement of TaskAppendix B: Committee BiographiesAppendix C: Liaison Committee on Strategic Planning for the Florida Citrus Industry: Addressing Citrus Greening DiseaseAppendix D: Oral Presentations and Written Statements Submitted to the CommitteeAppendix E: Significant Citrus Diseases Other Than HuanglongbingAppendix F: Significant Citrus Insect and Mite PestsAppendix G: Missions of University, Government, and Non-government Agencies with Responsibilities Related to Citrus Production and MarketingAppendix H: Citrus Bacterial Canker: Outbreaks and Regulatory ResponseAppendix I: Detection of Asian Citrus Psyllid and Huanglongbing in Florida and Major Events and Activities That Occurred in Response to Their Detection (June 1998–August 2009)Appendix J: Funded Projects on Citrus Greening (2008–2010)Appendix K: Huanglongbing Research Milestones (1956–2009)Appendix L: Witches' Broom Disease Outbreak in Brazil and Control Attempts: Success and Failure in Bahia, Brazil (1989–2009)Appendix M: Vector-borne Maize Pathogens: Lessons Learned