A mandarin hybrid developed by UF researchers is winning the battle against citrus greening.
Citrus greening is a disease that has killed millions of Florida trees and caused a sharp decline in production. While looking for ways to combat it, UF researchers found that mandarin hybrids have cellular activity that makes them better at fighting against the disease. Nabil Killiny, a UF assistant professor of plant pathology, said his study focused on identifying the chemicals that make Sugar Belle trees, a type of mandarin hybrid, tolerant to the greening disease.
“If we look into the elements that make this hybrid tolerant to the greening disease, we can try to transfer these elements to the sweet orange,” he said.
Killiny said the next step is to focus on producing the tolerant hybrid sweet oranges.
James Orrock, a UF plant pathology Ph.D. student, said he believes it is still too early to draw any conclusions.
“This disease is so devastating,” he said. “Our researchers are under a great amount of stress trying to find a solution.”
For now, the tolerance of the Sugar Belle tree and other newly released hybrid species will be further evaluated using controlled studies. If their tolerance is confirmed, they will be used to replace traditional cultivars.
“UF researchers are putting a lot of effort in finding a solution,” Orrock said. “It’s a very difficult disease to combat.”
