RIVERSIDE – (INT) – Scientists at UC Riverside have found the first substance capable of controlling Citrus Greening Disease, known as Huanglongbing (HLB).

The disease has devastated citrus groves in Florida and has spread to California.

The new treatment effectively kills the bacterium causing the disease with a naturally occurring molecule found in wild citrus relatives. This molecule, an antimicrobial peptide, offers numerous advantages over the antibiotics currently used to treat the disease, scientists said.

UCR geneticist Hailing Jin, who discovered the cure after a five-year search, explained that unlike antibiotic sprays, the peptide is stable even when used outdoors in high heat, easy to manufacture, and safe for humans.

The peptide only needs to be reapplied a few times per year and is highly cost effective for growers. It can also be developed into a vaccine-like spray to protect young healthy plants from infection.

The need for an HLB cure comes just in time as California produces 80 percent of all the fresh citrus in the United States.

Story Date: July 26, 2020