Spain: Saving oranges and lemons in Europe from devastating pests
Spain
Published Apr 14, 2023
Tridge summary
The EU is tackling plant diseases that could put the squeeze on citrus production in Spain and other Member States.
Original content
Many people love citrus fruits for their sweet or sour flavor, but plant diseases could leave fans with a bitter taste. A blight called citrus greening is killing orange, lemon and other such trees worldwide and could soon do the same in Europe. Tiny infected insects known as psyllids are responsible for spreading the scourge, which turns tree leaves yellow and the citrus fruits bitter. The pest originated in China, where it's also known as Huanglongbing (HLB), or yellow dragon disease. While the psyllids in Asia are causing the most damage, an African variety of the insect that is another vector of HLB has been found in Spain and Portugal. "The disease is highly destructive to the citrus," said Leandro Peña, a biologist at the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain. "A range of varieties of citrus that are available nowadays to the consumer may disappear if this disease reaches our continent." Citrus production plays an important economic role in Valencia, which is Peña's ...
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