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 Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Challenges to Citrus Production 3 Citrus Greening Research and Development and Industry Preparedness 4 Recommendations on Organizational Changes, Technology Development, and Systems Approaches for Minimizing the Impacts of Huanglongbing and Other Diseases and Pests in Florida Citrus 5 Strategies for Implementing Plans for Mitigation of Huanglongbing and Other Problems in Citrus Production Glossary References Appendixes Appendix A: Committee Statement of Task Appendix B: Committee Biographies Appendix C: Liaison Committee on Strategic Planning for the Florida Citrus Industry: Addressing Citrus Greening Disease Appendix D: Oral Presentations and Written Statements Submitted to the Committee Appendix E: Significant Citrus Diseases Other Than Huanglongbing Appendix F: Significant Citrus Insect and Mite Pests Appendix G: Missions of University, Government, and Non-government Agencies with Responsibilities Related to Citrus Production and Marketing Appendix H: Citrus Bacterial Canker: Outbreaks and Regulatory Response Appendix I: Detection of Asian Citrus Psyllid and Huanglongbing in Florida and Major Events and Activities That Occurred in Response to Their Detection (June 1998August 2009) Appendix J: Funded Projects on Citrus Greening (20082010) Appendix K: Huanglongbing Research Milestones (19562009) Appendix L: Witches' Broom Disease Outbreak in Brazil and Control Attempts: Success and Failure in Bahia, Brazil (19892009) Appendix M: Vector-borne Maize Pathogens: Lessons Learned