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Threat of Citrus Greening to Industry Worse Than Feared

Lakeland Ledger – November 15, 2011

LAKE ALFRED | Florida citrus growers have feared citrus greening would threaten their existence since the state’s first discovery of the bacterial disease in 2005.

Now Florida growers and researchers have discovered greening poses an even greater menace because the disease cuts down young trees before they reach maturity. Without new trees to replace those lost not just to greening but other diseases, Florida’s citrus tree population would gradually decline until it could no longer sustain the industry.

“All of us never realized how important avoiding early infection is,” said Arnold Schumann, professor of soil and water science at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.

Schumann’s research focuses on advanced irrigation and fertilization methods that would allow Florida growers to double or triple the number of trees planted per acre and reduce the time those trees need to produce a profitable amount of fruit.

Schumann presented the results of his research Tuesday at a 14-acre Auburndale grove. About 170 people, mostly growers, attended the Citrus Research Field Day sponsored by the Lake Alfred center. The group also visited a second experimental grove east of Lake Wales, where other researchers are growing new, smaller tree varieties suitable for higher-density plantings.

Although the 3-year-old Auburndale grove demonstrated the feasibility of his “advanced citrus production system” in Florida, the arrival of greening there in August 2010 threw a monkey wrench into the system, Schumann said. By October, the disease had spread to 8.5 percent of the trees.

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