Citrus growers in Florida have begun planting trees modified through gene-editing technology in an effort to combat citrus greening disease, a bacterial infection that has significantly damaged the state’s citrus sector. The Environmental Protection Agency approved the genetic modifications earlier this year, allowing growers to move forward with commercial planting after decades of struggling against the disease.
Citrus greening arrived in Florida in 2005 and is transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, a small winged insect. The infection attacks a tree’s immune system, preventing it from fighting off the bacteria. Infected trees typically produce bitter and discolored fruit before dying within a few years, and no cure currently exists. The impact on Florida’s citrus production has been severe: growers shipped approximately 300 million boxes of fruit each season in the late 1990s, but that figure had declined to just over 15 million boxes during the most recent season.
Soilcea, a Tampa-based company, developed the modified trees using CRISPR gene-editing technology to create a disease-resistant rootstock called CarriCea T1. Rather than modifying the fruit-bearing portion of the tree, the company focused on the rootstock to help trees maintain functional immune systems and reduce their reliance on insecticide treatments. According to Soilcea CEO Yianni Lagos, addressing the rootstock is critical because trees begin suffering root system damage before visible symptoms like yellowing leaves appear.
Early results from a Soilcea test field show promise, with trees bearing the CarriCea T1 rootstock demonstrating more robust growth and healthier foliage compared to unmodified trees planted alongside them. However, full evaluation of the trees’ performance will require several more years, as the fruit production and taste characteristics that determine commercial viability take considerable time to develop. Lagos noted that comprehensive data on long-term performance will only become available once the trees reach approximately 10 years of age.
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