Clemson-led team to tackle devastating citrus disease
Huanglongbing, known as HLB or the citrus greening disease, poses a significant challenge to farmers. The arboreal affliction leads to misshapen, bitter fruits, eventually killing the tree, and its effects in Florida alone have been devastating; since 2005, citrus production has declined by more than 80 percent, and HLB costs the state $1 billion annually. A group of researchers led by principal investigator Feng Luo aims to develop citrus cultivars that are highly tolerant or resistant to HLB. By employing artificial intelligence algorithms, the team can examine the genetic information of citrus plants with an efficiency that will allow for faster identification of HLB-resistant variants and ensure that those selections can lead to sustainable production. The $4.1M grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture builds upon a previous study demonstrating that resistant or tolerant citrus plants could be selected for large-scale cultivation.
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