Mediterranean citrus under threat

Mediterranean citrus under threat

Context

Citrus greening disease

What has happened?

After decimating orange groves in Florida and trees in California and Brazil, citrus greening disease now threatens the key producing region of the Mediterranean, according to researchers

Mediterranean region

According to the trade magazine FruitTrop, just over one fifth of the oranges, clementines and lemons consumed in the world come from the Mediterranean region

It accounts for 70% of the world’s exports of citrus fruits

What is citrus greening disease?

• The disease emerged in the first half of the last century in Asia, where it is called yellow dragon disease by the Chinese.
• It is spread by small insects called plant lice or psyllids which jump from tree to tree to suck the sap.
• When they do, they introduce the bacteria which ends up blocking the channels along which the sap flows.
• As the bacteria chokes off the flow of nutrients, the leaves turn yellow, the fruit is deformed, and eventually the tree dies.
• The African psyllid, which spreads a less virulent form of the disease, has already been detected in northern Spain and in Portugal, where trees were rapidly uprooted to prevent any further spread.