Florida citrus

Orange growers in Brazil and Florida have become allies in the war against greening, a fatal bacterial disease that threatens to destroy citrus growing in Brazil and the US.

One of Brazil’s leading researchers on citrus greening, A. Juliano Ayres, urged both countries to take action, adding that growers had been slow to grasp the danger and embrace new methods to control the disease.

Mr Ayres has outlined a number of points that Brazilian research has shown to be effective, including immediate action, the creation of local partnerships to share costs, frequent inspections of groves and the removal of infected trees.