Growers in Florida are becoming more nervous as canker appears to be spreading further north following finds in Collier county and as far north as Boca Raton on the Broward-Palm Beach county border. This is just one county south of the Indian River growing area where the largest concentration of grapefruit in the state is grown. This is of particular concern given the susceptibility of grapefruit to the disease. Authorities are talking of making up to $110million available to help the effort and will impose heavy fines if compliance agreements currently being drawn up for the whole industry to sign, are not met. The 1,900 feet (579metres) destruction zone around affected trees should help enormously in keeping the disease at bay. As will decontamination programmes of all equipment and staff, but it will be difficult to control and make safe vehicles going through citrus groves on public thoroughfares. Inspections of all commercial crops have not yet been carried out but are urgently required and the authorities are hoping to ban the sale from supermarkets of citrus nursery stock to the general public to help maintain quarantine areas set up by the canker eradication programme.The disease spreads even faster in high winds and rains, but at least most of Florida is experiencing a dry spell. However, the warm, dry conditions while helpful in the canker eradication effort, could reduce yields from the crop next season.

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