Florida ’s flailing citrus tree industry would makeAnita Bryantcry . Since 2005 , the state ’s orange trees have been dying off at a precipitous rate . AsCNN ’s Moni Basureports , the tree face a lowly yet insidious foe : a bug called the Asian citrus psyllid , which feeds on their leaves and stems . The bug carries a bacterial disease call citrus greening disease , recognize ashuanglingbingin Chinese , that causes the trees to farm acerb , misshapen fruit . The disease diffuse quickly — too quickly for researchers to find a cure .
Florida provides59 percentof America ’s oranges . What steps can agriculturalist take to economize their trees , and the$10 billion industry ?
Some agriculturist use organic treatments to keep the bugs at bay , Basu spell . Others toy with the idea of using genetically change strains of citrus . Scientists have stepped in , and they ’ve tried bactericide and heat therapy , and have attempted to breed disease - liberal trees that can bear fruit even while infected .
Meanwhile , the futurity of citrous fruit might lie dormant in the seed depository financial institution at theNational Center for Genetic Resources Preservationin Fort Collins , Colorado . There , geneticist preserve seeds , graftable buds , and semen from 100 of yard of animal and plant coinage that are authoritative to agriculture — including citrus trees .
At the Center — which is designed to withstand lifelike disasters and terrorist assaults — plant physiologists freeze tiny moment hack from the flora ’s tips in liquid nitrogen . Protected from bacteria , pests , and other ravages , these tips can later be unfrozen and graft on to rootstock to raise new Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . This way , if citrus greening does capture America ’s orangish crops , agriculturist can start again from scratch .
Could seed banks save orange tree diagram and other threatened food beginning ? Thejury ’s still out , but it still looks to be the last - case scenario when all other ideas fail . Seed money box could help researchers " economize materials before they are fall back forever , " plant physiologist Gayle Volk severalize CNN .
Makes you appreciate your sunrise crank of O.J. a small more , huh ?
