Update 2024: this post is 10 yrs old now.
How the disease presents and is spread is still relevant. But organic treatments are winning the battle, and greening is no longer a death sentence in many cases. Please see our current blogs on the subject for encouraging guidance.
Citrus Greening Disease: get the facts
Citrus in Florida is under attack from a fatal bacteria that causes a disease known as "Citrus greening". It is spread by an insect known as the Asian citrus psyllid.
The disease slowly weakens and kills the tree, causing the fruit to be lopsided and mal-formed, bitter tasting, and never ripening, hence the name "greening".
Symptoms of the disease don't manifest until several months or even years after infection. By the time the disease is noticed, it's too late to save the tree. Because the disease is systemic, removal of the affected leaves and branches is not a solution. Complete removal of the entire tree is the only known effective means of protecting nearby citrus trees.
Because of strict measures to control the spread of "Citrus greening", very few nurseries are licensed to propagate citrus, and as such the wholesale cost of potted plants is more than double what it was prior to the discovery of the disease in Florida in 2005.
Many southern states in the US are also under quarantine restrictions regarding the transport of citrus, and it is important that the plants not be removed from those areas to another. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas are all under quarantine restrictions.
Read more on UF's IFAS research here.
Read more on UF entomologist Michael Rogers' holistic organic research here.
MORE REFERENCES:
Combating Citrus Greening in Organic Systems
www.organic-center.org › project › 2019/01 › HLB_FarmerGuide
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
Jan 17, 2019 ... Professor Michael Rogers (UFL). Additional thanks goes out to our reviewers ... 20. Rogers, M., P.A. Stansly, and L. Stelinski, Florida citrus pest ...
If the above link is broken, download the pdf here.