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Citrus Canker Disease
Citrus production for the major producing countries in
the world is estimated at approximately 62 million tons or $5.878 billion. One
of the leading diseases affecting this industry is citrus canker, which seriously
limits citrus production in Asia and S. America (among other places) and now
threatens Florida citrus. In heavily infested areas, 50% or more of the fruit
fail to develop and fall from the tree prematurely. Canker causes such losses
to grapefruit, sweet orange and lime that these simply cannot be grown in many
parts of Asia and the Middle East. There is no cure, and resistance cannot be
genetically introgressed by breeding.
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Dwindling U.S. Crop
The current Citrus Canker eradication program is
costing Florida approximately $17 million per year.
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Citrus canker has been introduced at least four times into Florida in the last
century, and three of the introductions were recent and occurred despite strict
quarantine procedures. Citrus canker is now found extensively in residential
areas of Miami, to a limited extent in some commercial groves near Sarasota,
and most recently in Immokalee. Besides the economic costs, the
current eradication program has resulted in the destruction of more than 2,185,000 treees.
This figure includes the loss of some 580,000 mature citrus trees (about 35% of the total)
in the 1,000 sq. mile quarantine zone around Miami.
Florida’s commercial grapefruit and lime groves are so seriously
threatened by this outbreak that it has been suggested that all of the citrus
trees in Miami should be destroyed to prevent escape of the pathogen to
commercial growing areas. Since the pathogen is spread by wind-blown rain
and hurricanes and tornados, further escape and spread in commercial groves
seems almost certain. For further information, IPG has included in this
presentation a scientific analysis of Citrus
Canker Disease.
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Copyright © March 2003 Integrated Plant Genetics, Inc. -- All Rights Reserved
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