Citrus trees at UF are getting new outfits in the hopes of combatting citrus greening disease, which has dealt a $4 billion blow to Florida’s economy.
Scott Thompson and Tommy Thayer from the Tree Defender Company developed individual protective covers made of finely woven polyvinyl mesh to prevent trees from acquiring citrus greening disease, which kills them. The covers cost $8.50 each but were donated to UF for testing, said Brad Buck, an Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences spokesperson.
More than 95 percent of Florida’s citrus acreage is infected, Fernando Alferez, a citrus horticulturist at UF’s Southwest Florida Research and Extension Center, wrote in an email.
“Greening is something new, devastating, with no cure in the horizon,” Alferez said.
The disease is spread by psyllids, which are small bugs that feast on citrus leaves and stems, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.
The covers are placed over tree branches and secured around tree trunks, which prevents the pests from infecting young trees, Alferez said.
The mesh also protects trees from deer, birds, frost and wind, said Erin Mencer, the director of sales and marketing for Southern Citrus Nurseries and Tree Defender.
Alferez hopes the covers will become an integral part of the industry.
“We are confident that as we move forward with our research, citrus growers will find this mechanism to be cost-effective and efficient in growing healthy citrus trees,” Alferez said.
Citrus greening is a disease that reduces the production of citrus, with symptoms including yellowing of the leaves, dying of the trees or branches, abnormally tasting fruit and no fruiting. This 1-acre Citrus Under Protective Screen, a mesh screening, protects these 2.5-year-old mandarin trees by blocking out the Asian citrus psyllid, an insect that carries the bacteria that causes greening.
