New gene-editing technology could help Florida's struggling citrus industry recover

Florida’s iconic orange crop has struggled for years against disease and damaging weather, but scientists and citrus growers are hoping a new gene-editing technology could help the industry bounce back.

The Details

After years of trying various methods to combat freezing temperatures and citrus greening disease, a new tool approved by the Environmental Protection Agency is designed to give Florida citrus trees a better chance at survival.

Over the past two decades, citrus greening, a bacterial disease that can eventually kill infected trees, has devastated Florida groves. Now, Tampa-area agricultural biotechnology company Soilcea is using CRISPR gene-editing technology to create a bacteria-resistant root system for citrus trees.

“The edited thing, the edited part we have is the rootstock, because that s what s really harmed by citrus greening disease,” said Yianni Lagos, president and CEO of Soilcea. “So before you see the first symptom in the fruit or in the sign in the top of the tree,