Growing oranges on bushes — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Aoshi VN
Bartow, Florida – For almost a century, citrus was a vital part of Florida’s economy and identity. However, a decades-long decline caused by an invasive predator and frequent hurricanes has left some questioning whether the sector will ever be able to recover.
According to Matt Joyner, executive vice president and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, the state’s largest citrus trade association, citrus used to be “a behemoth” in the state, with around a million acres of trees. It now grows on less than 200,000 acres.
Since the season before three hurricanes hit this area in 2004, production has fallen by about 92%. The production fell to its lowest level in over a century during the winter of 2024–2025.
Citing economic constraints, the largest commercial grower in the state declared in early 2025 that it would discontinue its citrus operations in Florida.
But many scientists and producers aren’t prepared to write Florida’s citrus heritage off.
They are retaliating against the ravenous Asian citrus psyllid and the “citrus greening,” a bacterial disease that kills trees.
Researchers and gardeners have created trees “exhibiting tremendous resistance, if not tolerance, to greening” through breeding and genetics, according to Joyner.
Florida citrus plantations have been under siege from invasive species.
Psyllid is thought to be the biggest threat to citrus trees and fruit worldwide, but Florida growers have already experienced issues with pests and diseases like canker, which still persists, and catastrophic tree-killing frost.
Numerous nations have been impacted by Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, a particularly harmful form of the disease it spreads. Although it is present in many states, Florida has been particularly affected.
Arriving in the state in 1998, the insects, which are only about an eighth of an inch long, were discovered in the commercial citrus crop in 2005. They have caused chaos ever since.
According to Ute Albrecht, an associate professor of plant physiology at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, “we have had a 90% reduction in acreage and production compared with pre HLB.”
Growers produced 14.6 million boxes during the 2024–25 season, which was more than 25% less than the year before. The last time production was that low was 125 years ago. The industry generated 304 million boxes per season at its peak.
The scientists attribute the virus’s spread to a number of factors, including Florida’s heat and precipitation, which promote the new growth that the insects prefer to consume, hurricanes that disperse the bugs into new regions, and delays in efforts to remove the psyllids since their initial appearance in South Florida.
Similar to mosquitoes that spread malaria, psyllids spread the disease from diseased trees to healthy ones. According to Albrecht, the virus spreads “everywhere, not just in the leaves or on the surface” when it infects a tree.
In order to combat the germs and insects, growers are collaborating with scientists to create and employ promising techniques and treatments. In order to create trees with more resilient root systems and tree tops, this involves experimenting with hundreds of different types of fruit and trees.
Additionally, they have been using a therapy that Albrecht helped create for three years to stop the bacterial infection. In order to keep psyllids out, they are growing more acres under protective screen structures. Helping trees manufacture a protein that can kill little, juvenile psyllids is another advancement.
Additionally, the cost of new tree plantings and the creation of more advanced disease treatment techniques are being covered by state and federal initiatives.
Joyner stated that things are “moving in the right direction.” “Seeing some resurgence is kind of exciting.”
“A guiding light”
According to Joyner, the statistics illustrating the industry’s downturn fail to capture the hope and tenacity of producers and scientists striving to improve the situation.
He stated, “It’s easy to get a wrong impression of what’s going on in Florida citrus by looking just at the stats and charts.”
Golden Ridge Groves in Bartow is co-owned by Shane and Katie Bevilacqua, who aren’t prepared to let up. Steve Crump, whose family has been cultivating fruit in De Leon Springs for over 130 years, isn’t either.
These producers are enthusiastic about developments that include new root stock varieties and trees that are more resilient, tolerant, grow more quickly, and yield more desirable fruit as they work with scientists to discover solutions.
According to Jude Grosser, a professor of plant cell genetics at UF’s Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, the greening catastrophe forced researchers to speed up genetic research.
Grosser now spends a lot of time in the field, exploring groves in quest of the greatest fruit and plants. In order to improve both trees and fruit, he and his colleagues are searching through thousands of hybrids planted in the groves for the “right” features, isolating them, and crossing them with other hybrids.
According to Shane Bevilacqua, who co-owns Golden Ridge Groves with his wife, the University of Florida team has served as “a guiding light.” The grandpa, uncle, and father of Katie, Jerry Mixon, have a long history of collaboration with the University and are credited with helping to establish Florida’s blueberry industry. She remarked, “I come from a long line of risk takers and problem solvers.”
Jerry Mixon started planting trees in 2016 beneath a protected, screened structure that kept insects away. Approximately 700 acres of the land are currently protected.
To show the public what’s happening inside the protected structures, the Bevilacquas opened Golden Ridge to tours, you-pick opportunities, and tastings in November. According to her, it’s a means of introducing citrus research to the general public and obtaining firsthand input from customers regarding the more recent fruit kinds.
According to the Bevilacquas, growers have reaped significant collateral benefits from the screen structures. Trees in the humid environment develop much more quickly than those outside the screen because they are shielded from the wind and, to some extent, the sun. Additionally, they yield more fruit of superior quality.
According to Grosser, “we’re much more efficient with what we do on a per acre basis.” “Our research on greening has yielded a plethora of findings that have improved our practices.”
Gaining an advantage
In the late 1800s, Steve Crump’s great-grandfather Chester Strawn planted orange trees in Polk County, Florida, some 90 miles northeast of the research site. The family has already fought and recovered from harsh freezes in 1894–1895 and 1989, over a century later.
Four years earlier, Grosser warned Crump that the citrus trees would develop quickly when he planted his first ones under one of the protected screened shelters.
Crump, executive director of the Volusia County Farm Bureau, remarked, “It’s unbelievably fast compared to the stuff I’m growing outside.” “It’s the best fruit I’ve ever grown.”
After giving the future a lot of thought, he is growing the area under screen because he is inspired by the production, flavor, and growth he observes at the family’s Vo-LaSalle Farms.
After storms like Hurricane Milton in 2024, the enclosures can become expensive to repair, costing tens of thousands per acre. According to Grosser, farmers that grow beneath them will have to switch from concentrating on juice as they have in the past to producing more higher value types due to the expense.
Individual screen covers are also being used by farmers in Georgia and Florida to protect newly planted young trees. The trees may have a longer lifespan if they can remain covered for a few years to give them time to establish a strong root system.
Asian citrus psyllid facts
By keeping an eye on their own citrus trees, learning to spot bugs and greening symptoms, and applying insecticides and other tree-healthy practices, homeowners may also help reduce the issue.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists the following symptoms as those to look out for:
The almond-shaped, yellow-orange eggs of psyllids are frequently nestled among leaf folds and cracks.
Waxy, white excretions are left on the leaves by the small nymphs.
A tree may be a source of bacteria that infects neighboring trees even if it shows no symptoms.
Fruit may continue to be partially green and oddly shaped, while leaves may have spots and mottled colors.
Preserving the citrus fruits of Florida
A coordinated and integrated approach will be necessary to save Florida’s citrus, Albrecht stated.
“You really have to use a whole arsenal of things, from nutrition, irrigation, pests, insecticides and injections,” she stated. “Having better varieties that can handle the disease is ultimately the best way to solve this or to live with it.”
According to Grosser, the objective is to create a portfolio of root stocks that farmers can use to select the best possibilities for their farms based on their soil, salinity, pest and disease issues, and the kind of fruit they wish to produce. He claimed that progressive individuals with money and a willingness to try new things are “going to make it” with the breakthroughs.
According to Grosser, the business also aims to improve fruit varieties that will retain the flavor and quality of their juice after pasteurization, as well as fruit that can be mechanically harvested and withstand packing and transportation. “A new orange variety named for the late Orie Lee, a member of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame, blended with mandarin orange juice was the crowd’s hands down favorite,” he remarked at a juice tasting at a fundraiser in December.
The declining amount of land available for new groves in the face of rising demand for land for new developments and residences is another barrier to the citrus industry’s complete recovery. According to Grosser, farmers who gave up fighting greening and let their trees to die are receiving enormous offers for their land. Selling the land would mean that it “never comes back into agriculture.”
Joyner and others believe that by continuing to emphasize state-sponsored farm preservation initiatives that compensate farmers for protecting their property, these issues can be resolved.
According to Joyner, the industry’s existence is essential for rural economies and green spaces, as well as for consumers who wish to keep purchasing fresh fruit and juice produced in the United States.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
