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12th March 2017

The battle against citrus greening given new hope by latest discovery

Researchers are hoping that the “blue belly” of the Asian citrus psyllid, the carrier of citrus greening disease could provide a link to how they can fight this dangerous disease that threatens the global citrus market. Researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute, New York, have been looking at a protein that makes the bellies of citrus psyllids blue and studying the possible connection it may have with the natural process of spreading the devastating bacterium in the first place. By blocking bacterial transmission by the psyllid rather than killing it the approach may provide a longer lasting solution because the insect isn’t under pressure to evolve to survive the treatment, which commonly occurs with pesticide usage.

Source: South West Farm Press

By Caroline Calder News Share:

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