When the citrus tree-killing disease known as greening was
detected for the first time in the United States in Homestead,
Fla., in August 2005, some feared the end was near for Florida’s
signature industry. Now, more than seven years later, the
apocalypse has not occurred, but the disease that results in
bitter, misshapen fruit is said to be present in every grove to
some extent. Although no one knows the actual number of infected
trees, many place it as somewhere between 40 to 70 percent. The
citrus industry has undergone a sea change. Production costs are
up about 40 percent in many cases, mostly due to the cost of
spraying for psyllids, the insects that spread the disease, and
to nutritional programs to keep trees as healthy as possible.
Primarily through a grower-funded tax on each box of fruit, the
citrus industry has invested $66 million in 129 research
projects run by 30 doctoral scientists looking for a solution to
the disease, also known as Huanglongbing or HLB. “We understand
the sense of urgency. W