FAPESP-supported research center will seek solutions to the main threat to citrus farming in São Paulo

By Elton Alisson  |  FAPESP Innovative R&D – Responsible for 8.2% of exports and the creation of around 45,000 jobs in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, the citrus sector is facing one of its greatest challenges: combating greening, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB). Currently, HLB is considered the most serious and destructive bacterial disease affecting citrus fruits worldwide.

First recorded in Brazil in 2004, greening has caused the loss of 65 million plants in São Paulo’s citrus industry. These plants were destroyed in an attempt to control the disease.

To identify solutions for combating greening and other pests that threaten agriculture, FAPESP, the Citrus Defense Fund (Fundecitrus), and the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture at the University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP) established the Applied Research Center in Innovation and Sustainability in Citrus Farming (ARC-Citros). The agreement for its establishment was signed on January 12 at an ESALQ-USP event.

“We’re replicating, now, with the creation of the center, the successful model for combating Xylella [which causes citrus variegated chlorosis, a disease popularly known as yellowing], which occurred 25 years ago and affected citrus farming in São Paulo,” said Marco Antonio Zago, president of FAPESP, during the event.

FAPESP and Fundecitrus were already partners in the Genome Project, which sequenced the genome of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa for the first time in 2000. This milestone allowed biotechnology research in the country to advance.

“We’re talking here, now, about an alliance between researchers, citrus growers, and state agencies to solve a practical problem in society. And that’s what FAPESP has been doing in recent years,” the director emphasized.

With a total investment of BRL 200 million over the next five years, renewable for another five, the center’s mission will be to develop research, disseminate knowledge, and transfer technology to the sector. Of this total, BRL 90 million will be contributed by FAPESP and Fundecitrus.

Initially, ARC-Citros will consist of a network of 75 researchers from various fields affiliated with 19 institutions, including ESALQ-USP, the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo State University (UNESP), Agronomy (IAC) and Biology (IB) institutes, and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA). The center will also feature the participation of agricultural research institutions from countries such as Portugal, France, Spain, the United States, and Australia.

According to experts present at the event, the creation of this international network of researchers to combat greening is strategic for identifying solutions to the disease. The only known material to be genetically resistant to the causative bacterium was identified in Papua New Guinea in Oceania.

“We hope that this research network will create synergy between laboratories, so that researchers can talk and share results, enabling us to make progress in combating greening,” said Lilian Amorim, a professor at ESALQ-USP and director of ARC.

Combat actions

According to Amorim, ARC-Citros was proposed in response to a demand from São Paulo’s citrus growers due to the increased incidence of greening in the state, particularly after 2022.

“The center’s short-term goal is to stop the epidemic and promote the sustainability of citrus farming in São Paulo,” Amorim said.

Recent data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), presented by Zago during the event, indicate a 7.5% increase in the incidence of greening in São Paulo, affecting over 60% of the plants in production centers such as those in the municipalities of Limeira, Porto Ferreira, and Avaré.

To contain the spread of disease in São Paulo’s orchards, the Department of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo inspected over 17,000 properties last year and removed more than 60,000 seedlings that were not in compliance with regulations, said Alberto Amorim, the agency’s executive secretary.

“We’ve also created a state program through which we receive reports of abandoned orchards and can eradicate them. This is unprecedented in the country,” Amorim said.

According to Antônio Juliano Ayres, executive director of Fundecitrus, ARC-Citros will be essential to containing the spread of greening disease.

“Citrus growers in São Paulo have already faced extremely complicated phytosanitary challenges and now face the biggest one yet. But I’m sure that greening is a stone that will be removed from our country’s path,” he said.

Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior, the dean of USP, pointed out that this goal is a priority since Brazil produces about 75% of the world’s orange juice.

“The formation of this international research network through the new center is essential because a single laboratory will probably not be able to solve the greening problem,” he concluded.

Also participating in the agreement signing ceremony were Marcio de Castro, scientific director of FAPESP; Thaís Vieira, director of ESALQ-USP; and Raul Machado, manager of the Foundation’s Institutional Relations Advisory.