Researchers seek help from organic citrus growers to fight HLB
Researchers are contacting organic citrus growers for help in developing a holistic approach in battling citrus greening disease, also known as huanglongbing/HLB.
Although the entire citrus industry has been affected by the disease, with Florida devastated and other areas battling to keep it from spreading, organic growers have been hit especially hard because they have few tools to fight it, according to a news release from The Organic Center, which is an affiliate of the Organic Trade Association.
The Organic Center, the University of Florida and the University of California-Riverside, are conducting a survey asking growers and stakeholders about practices used to combat HLB and Asian citrus psyllids, which spread the disease. The survey asks for information on dozens of products used on the pests and trees infected with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, which causes huanglongbing, and how effective those treatments were.
Researchers want to equip organic citrus growers with tools to allow them to fight HLB, and determine priorities on research projects that would help them.
“To achieve these objectives, we plan to conduct a needs assessment through this survey and a workshop gathering information on current organic-compliant strategies used to combat HLB, their successes and challenges,” Jessica Shade, director of science programs at The Organic Center, said in the release. “From this assessment we will develop and disseminate research priorities to build additional funding proposals to advance progress in fighting HLB in organic systems, and citrus as a whole.”
The survey is at https://bit.ly/33w2LQj.
Specific goals, according to the release, include:
- Gathering information through surveys and listening sessions on current techniques to combat HLB;
- Assessing HLB control research priorities at an in-person meeting to determine outreach and education needs for organic citrus growers in the U.S.; and
- Using the feedback to develop a systems-based research and extension proposal.
Survey responses are due by Oct. 20.
Related stories:
Psyllid with bacteria found in commercial California grove
University of Florida updates HLB information online
