Threats To Florida Citrus: Diseases, Climate and Politicians

Explore the major threats facing Florida's citrus groves, including citrus greening disease and climate change. Find out how the Save Florida Citrus Groves Foundation is fighting back.

Despite its storied past, Florida's citrus industry faces significant challenges today. The most pressing of these is citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB), which has devastated groves across the state. This bacterial disease, spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, causes trees to produce misshapen, bitter fruit and eventually die. Since its discovery in Florida in 2005, citrus greening has reduced the state's citrus production by over 70%.

Climate change also poses a threat, with rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and more frequent extreme weather events affecting citrus growth and health. Warmer winters allow pests like the psyllid to thrive year-round, while droughts and floods can weaken trees and reduce yields.

Other challenges include urbanization, which has led to the loss of grove land, and invasive pests beyond the psyllid. These threats combined have put immense pressure on Florida's small citrus growers.