A team led by University of California Riverside (UCR) plant scientists has been given a five-year USD5.1 million grant to find an effective treatment for citrus greening disease, officially known as huanglongbing.

The disease attacks citrus crops with devastating results and is carried by a tiny winged insect, the Asian citrus psyllid, with the bacteria causing the leaves on citrus plants to appear mottled and misshapen. The fruit has a bitter flavour and remains green. Infected trees usually die within three to five years.

Caroline Roper, a bacteriologist and plant pathologist, is heading a team of six UCR scientists, as well as five other researchers from other universities. The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and UCR will receive USD3.1 million of the total grant package.

Source: San Bernardino County Sun