Texas A&M AgriLife received $7,000,000
U.S. Department of Agriculture
KANSAS CITY, MO (News Release) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced today an investment of nearly $11 million for research to combat Huanglongbing (HLB), commonly known as citrus greening disease. HLB, caused by an insect bacterium, is the most severe threat to global citrus production.
“NIFA’s Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension program brings the nation's top scientists together with citrus industry representatives to find scientifically sound solutions to combat and prevent HLB at the farm-level,” said NIFA Director Dr. Carrie Castille. “This year’s awards represent all three major U.S. citrus growing regions and include possible solutions ranging from blocking HLB transmission from inside the insect vector to utilizing novel anti-microbial peptides to treat HLB-infected trees.”
The fiscal year 2021 five funded Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension projects include Texas A&M AgriLife Research. AgriLife received $7,000,000 to leverage public-private partnerships between state agencies, universities, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, and the citrus industry to pursue advanced testing and commercialization of promising HLB therapies and extend outcomes to stakeholders.