You’re paying more for orange juice, with prices continuing to rise because of a disease that’s hurting citrus crops and costing growers millions of dollars.
Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing, or HLB, is behind the decline and the resulting scarcity of oranges, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which says the disease has now spread from Florida to Texas and California.
“HLB is the most serious threat to the U.S. citrus industry in history,” according to the USDA.
In June, orange juice cost $4.26 per 16 ounces — $2 more than the June 2020 price of $2.36, according to the federal agency.
Citrus greening is caused by a bacteria called liberibacter that most likely originated in Asia before the 1900s and has spread to citrus-growing areas across the world. The bacteria is carried and spread by a sap-sucking insect, the Asian citrus psyllid. Once the insect transmits the disease as it feeds, the bacteria slowly kills the tree and is, so far, incurable.
In countries where the disease is endemic, different citrus trees, such as “sweet orange,” begin to decline within three to four years after planting. This results in “reduced fruit crop and fruit quality,” according to the USDA.
Citrus greening was first detected in 2005 in Florida and, by 2008, had been identified in most of that state’s citrus-growing counties.
“Since 2005, HLB has spread throughout Florida, killing countless trees and devastating orchards, reducing citrus production by 75% and more than doubling production costs,” the USDA says.
“Despite intense efforts, citrus greening now threatens the survival of Florida citrus, has a toehold in other citrus areas and poses a threat to the entire U.S. citrus industry,” according to the department.
Researchers with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service are trying to learn more about the disease’s pathogen, host and insect vector, among other factors.
“We are making great progress in not only understanding how citrus greening infiltrates healthy citrus trees but how to protect these trees from the disease,” the USDA says.
One advancement researchers have made involves the use of dogs to detect citrus diseases. A team of researchers trained 10 dogs to detect citrus greening and three dogs to detect citrus canker, another bacterial disease that affects citrus trees. The experiment had accuracy rates above 99.97%, according to the USDA.
The federal Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service plans to deploy trained dogs over the next two years and is working with dog-training companies to commercialize this service. Using trained dogs is the only available way to quickly detect citrus greening before visible symptoms, according to the USDA.