Originally published October 17 2005
Florida health officials believe citrus disease cannot be contained
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The citrus greening disease that has spread to several commercial groves in Florida has passed the point where it can be contained and eradicated, according to Craig Meyer, Florida's deputy commissioner of agriculture.
Now that the fatal citrus greening disease has spread to two commercial citrus groves, including one of the state's largest growers, the prospects for eradicating the disease may have vanished.
"We can't eradicate the disease at this point, in my opinion," Craig Meyer, Florida's deputy commissioner of agriculture, told The Ledger after a Friday morning meeting on efforts to control the bacterial disease that has spread to five counties in less than two months.
Meyer's remarks came at the end of the meeting of more than 20 officials from the state and U.S. departments of agriculture at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.
"I think the cow's out of the barn," said Graham, who added the industry needs to focus on management practices to control the greening bacteria's spread, particularly in citrus nurseries.
"We haven't come to that conclusion yet," said Michael Shannon, the director of plant health for the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service in Gainesville.
Greening is caused by bacteria that can live in a variety of hosts, including citrus trees and ornamental plants, for up to three years before symptoms appear.
Once established, the citrus psyllid, an insect that also serves as a host, appears to be the main factor in its spread.
Since the first confirmed discovery of greening near Homestead in late August, state and federal inspectors have found greening on more than 200 residential trees in Miami-Dade, Broward and Martin counties.
But inspectors on Tuesday confirmed greening on six trees over four square miles in a Hendry grove owned by Southern Gardens Citrus Processing Corp., a Clewiston juice company, said Paul Hornby, a state agriculture official supervising the greening survey team.
The infections were found on an orange and a tangerine tree about five miles apart in a 2,000acre grove, said Mark DuBois, Callery Judge's production manager.
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