Will There Be Any Place Left To Grow Citrus

[Millet]

Citrus greening disease found in Trinidad and Tobago

[SoCal2warm]

Notice how citrus greening has only appeared in places that grow citrus commercially (i.e. have monoculture fields with row after row of hundreds of citrus)

[Susanne42]

Sadly monoculture helps speeding this disease  no doubt about. I the disease is in your area I doubt your tree will stay healthy just because you only have two or three trees.

[brettay]

A greenhouse somewhere in Canada.

[Susanne42]

or change the way how they are planted and feed.

[Citradia]

Greenhouse culture in states where citrus can't survive the cold winters. It will be a novelty fruit and no longer used for juice commercially.

[Badfish8696]

Funny seeing these dire scenarios mentioned. There is a lot of money in citrus, cures and methods to work around it will be found. The disease has a pretty long cycle, groves are already being planted to early yielding rootstocks with tight spacings. Yield fruit for five years, replant as necessary. Will costs go up? Probably, but make no mistake a solution will be found. This reminds me of the phylloxera epidemic in Europe in the 1800s. They found rootstock immune to the pest. Chances are there is already a natural hybrid of citrus immune to the greening bacteria. Not to mention all of the breeding and genetic research being carried out. If a solution doesn't exist yet we will create one. Citrus is a huge industry with a lot of money behind it. A solution will be found.

[Ulfr]

I really really hope it doesn't end up here... but it no doubt will that and varroa.

[Susanne42]

Yes and even if a cure is found for this disease, If practice is not change, next disease just around the corner.

[Citradia]

You are right Badfish. They replace trees in China/Asia where greening came from. No cure there either. A lot of backyard growers won't want to plant a tree that they know will be dead in 5 years though. Hopefully cure will be found sooner than later.

[Greg A]

There's been no commercial citrus industry for decades (and so no monoculture) in the parts of Los Angeles county where trees infected with HLB were found.

I'm no fan of monoculture, but I have to acknowledge that fact. It scares me because it implies that my neighborhood and yard are vulnerable too.