Game-changing tree aiding hard-hit citrus growers in Florida

Florida citrus growers are facing an uphill battle due to the combined effects of ongoing drought, a disease known as citrus greening and the damage wrought by Hurricane Ian last fall. But there are increasing signs of optimism among farmers in the industry.

For Vernon Hollingsworth, a fifth-generation farmer and citrus grower, the situation has been nothing short of dire. Hollingsworth, who grew up in Florida, said his family's orange trees were recently ravaged by both disease and Ian. This has led to increased juice prices and left many farmers in disbelief.

"I lost 95 to 97 percent of my crops," Hollingsworth told AFP.

The citrus industry in Florida has suffered as a whole due to the lessened growth, with the last crop being one of the smallest since World War II. But despite these recent challenges, there is renewed hope in the fight against citrus greening -- also known as Huanglongbing (HLB). HLB is a bacterial disease spread by tiny insects that infect and kill fruit and trees.

Florida, the world's second-largest orange juice producer after Brazil, has a new discovery that will help the state continue production despite the challenges: the HLB-tolerant Donaldson tree.

"It's not immune, it does get the disease, but it seems to be able to keep growing," Ben Rosson, bureau chief of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.

The Florida Department of Agriculture has started growing clean trees to distribute to nurseries for propagation. One of the nurseries to receive the Donaldson trees belongs to Roy Petteway in Hardee County, Florida.

Petteway's family farm, Petteway Citrus and Cattle, was one of many severely impacted by Ian in September. He told Wadell last October that the storm's powerful winds wiped out 40% of his family's crop.

Petteway said the process of budding involves taking a bud from one tree and putting it into the bark of a new tree. The bud then grows into a branch on the new tree.

"Those trees will then take about another year before we can get them out into a real-world growth setting. And then in three to five years, those trees will be getting fruit off," Petteway explained.

In March, the Florida Department of Citrus said crop forecast numbers were trending in a "positive direction" but noted that Florida growers still have "many trials to overcome."

"As growers continue to repair, replant, and deploy innovative mitigation efforts to combat greening and ensure the health of their operations and this industry, the Florida Department of Citrus is working alongside industry leaders and policymakers to help ensure Florida citrus growers have the assistance necessary to recover from the 2022 hurricane season and make progress toward a stronger future for the Florida citrus industry," said Shannon Shepp, the executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus.

As farmers face increasing threats from disease, drought and tropical weather, the Donaldson tree is providing a much-needed positive development for the citrus industry.

"We're wanting to plant as many acres as possible within a couple of years. It is a game changer as long as it continues to reform like it has," said Rosson.

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