Today, a pivotal chapter in Florida citrus history is unfolding, as citrus growers struggle with a bacterial disease called citrus greening, also known by the Chinese term huanglongbing and its acronym, HLB. To learn more about the threat HLB poses — and its effect on Florida’s economy — the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board sought out Dr. Jacqueline K. Burns. She’s the dean for research with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.
Q: Florida and citrus often seem synonymous. What is the history of citrus in Florida?
A: Florida’s multibillion-dollar citrus industry has a long and storied history, reaching back to the early 1500s when Spanish explorers planted orange trees in St. Augustine.
Commercial citrus production expanded steadily throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. By 1950, growers were harvesting more than 100 million boxes of fruit annually, an achievement that helped establish citrus as Florida’s signature crop. Two decades later, the harvest surpassed 200 million boxes and the 1997-98 season saw an all-time high, 244 million boxes.
Along the way, growers overcame freezes, droughts, hurricanes, pests and diseases, with the help of research-based information from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Q: What is the direct threat from HLB? What’s being done to combat it?
A: Transmitted by a tiny flying insect, the disease curtails production by weakening and killing infected trees. Although scientists have made many advances in detecting and managing infections, citrus greening has spread throughout Florida’s citrus-growing regions. Consequently, production has declined — Florida’s 2015-16 citrus harvest was 94.2 million boxes.
Many observers believe that new technologies will eventually help growers overcome citrus greening, but today some growers are seeking alternative crops to try.
To meet this need, UF/IFAS is again providing research-based information, as our personnel assess promising crops and determine how to harness their potential.
Q: How important is agriculture to Florida?
A: Critically important. Altogether, agricultural and natural resources industries added $127.34 billion to Florida’s economy in 2014, the most recent year analyzed. This sector provides one in every seven Florida jobs, for a total of 1.6 million full-time and part-time positions.
Two-thirds of Florida’s total land area is managed by agricultural and natural resources interests — roughly 23 million acres. Many of these operations provide environmental services including air purification, groundwater recharge and wildlife habitat.
Considering that Florida is the nation’s third most-populous state, robust nutritional food production is vital to the well-being of our communities. When producers offer items locally they give residents easier access to fresh food, help eliminate “food deserts” and use less fuel transporting food to market.
Q: How has citrus greening disease impacted the citrus industry?
A: Altogether, citrus greening has reduced revenues from Florida processed orange and grapefruit production by $4.64 billion over the 10 seasons that the disease has affected production. Citrus greening has also cost the state $1.76 billion in labor income and more than 3,400 jobs.
Some citrus varieties tolerate the disease better than others, but all are vulnerable to infection and infected trees eventually produce less fruit, weaken and die. At present, there is no foolproof method of protecting citrus trees from infection, or of ridding infected trees of the bacterium that causes citrus greening.
Q: What crops could be grown as alternatives to citrus?
A: At present, UF/IFAS researchers are investigating the potential for large-scale production of specialty crops such as artichokes, blackberries, hops, olives, peaches and pomegranate. One or more of these crops may provide growers with a viable alternative to citrus. Success will require development of optimized management methods and suitable cultivars, and some efforts are already under way.
When adopting new crops, growers often target specific market segments where their products are likely to win favor from consumers. For example, Florida’s small but growing olive industry is largely focused on production of artisanal, small-batch olive oils aimed at upscale eateries and retail stores.
Q: Have alternative crops been introduced successfully in Florida in the past?
A: Yes. Actually, most crops currently grown in Florida were introduced from other parts of the world. The state’s producers have always been innovators and are willing to embrace change if there are clear-cut reasons for doing so, and Florida has benefitted from past efforts to diversify its agricultural production. Some candidate crops are naturally well-adapted to Florida’s growing conditions but others must be bred for specific traits before they are commercially viable here.
Blueberries are one recent example of an alternative crop that became well-established in the state. Until the late 1970s, Florida had virtually no commercial blueberry production, because it was believed that high-yielding plants could not be grown here. By “thinking outside the box,” UF/IFAS plant breeders developed hybrid plants that thrived under hot, humid conditions and yielded enough fruit to be profitable, especially early in the season before producers in other states begin harvesting. Today, this industry produces a crop worth $70 million annually.
Q: How does UF/IFAS introduce new crops?
A: When a crop variety bred at UF/IFAS is nominated for commercial release, a panel of experts will review data on its characteristics, management requirements, performance and commercial potential. If the panel is satisfied that the variety is a good prospect for release, UF/IFAS officially releases it.
When a variety is approved for release, licensing for commercial use is handled by a UF support organization, Florida Foundation Seed Producers. Personnel there conduct negotiations with potential licensees, formalize agreements and handle financial matters related to licensing.
In the past 10 years, UF/IFAS has released nearly 300 plant varieties for commercialization as landscape ornamentals, groundcovers, forages and food crops. One reason the UF/IFAS cultivar release program is so active is that it provides strong incentives to breeders – 70 percent of the revenue generated by each licensed cultivar is returned to the breeding team, supporting future efforts.
