[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/10349\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESaving oranges and lemons in Europe from devastating pests \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany people love citrus fruits for their sweet or sour flavour, but plant diseases could leave fans with a bitter taste.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA 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.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESpanish vigilance\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe pest originated in China, where it\u2019s 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.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The disease is highly destructive to the citrus,\u2019 said Leandro Pe\u00f1a, a biologist at the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain.\u0026nbsp;\u2018A range of varieties of citrus that are available nowadays to the consumer may disappear if this disease reaches our continent.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ECitrus production plays an important economic role in Valencia, which is Pe\u00f1a\u2019s home region along the eastern coast of Spain, as well as in other parts of the country and elsewhere in the EU. Spain is the EU\u2019s main producer of citrus fruits,\u0026nbsp;which also include tangerines, mandarins, limes and grapefruit.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen it comes to oranges alone, Spain accounts for about half of total output in the 27-nation EU. Aside from being a fresh fruit and juice, Spanish oranges go into everything from marmalades and desserts to skincare products and perfumes.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe threat posed by HLB, which is incurable, is now raising alarm among local farmers and residents.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is where an EU-funded project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/817526\u0022\u003EPRE-HLB\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;could offer reassurances. The research, which started in 2019, aims to develop a comprehensive strategy to protect Europe from citrus greening.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EExperts from nine countries \u2013 including the Americas and Asia \u2013 are trying to prevent the disease from coming to Europe by increasing knowledge of how it spreads.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers also want to be prepared in case the disease does reach Europe, so they\u2019re developing measures to soften the impact, control it and eventually eliminate the pest if needed.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFurthermore, long-term solutions, including breeding new citrus plants resistant to the pest and coming up with methods to treat the disease such as biopesticides, are also being investigated. The project is due to end in November this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFlorida warning\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EPe\u00f1a has been working on citrus genetics and biotechnology for almost 30 years and already helped to manage the disease in Brazil and the US.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EA range of varieties of citrus that are available nowadays to the consumer may disappear if this disease reaches our continent.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003ELeandro Pe\u00f1a, PRE-HLB\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHe said that Florida, known as the Orange State in the US, was once a major producer of sweet orange juice. Then, 20 years ago, citrus greening devastated trees in the region and caused production to drop by 70%.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The situation is a disaster,\u2019 said Pe\u00f1a. \u2018The fruit that they produce is of low quality, almost inedible, and they need to mix it with fruits coming from other countries to make juice that is drinkable.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHe\u2019s worried that the same could happen in Europe and that the disease will destroy the economic and social culture of citrus in countries including Spain, Italy and Greece.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESo far, only the African version of the psyllid insect has been found in Europe\u0026nbsp;\u2013 not the bacterium that causes citrus greening.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, the presence of psyllids means that the disease could spread rapidly were the bacterium to become invasive. Meanwhile, the Asian insect, which is more aggressive, has recently been found in eastern Mediterranean countries such as Israel.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EPe\u00f1a is warning people against bringing back plants or seeds from outside Europe, for instance after a holiday.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Even if you think that a citrus tree looks beautiful and healthy, it could have a disease inside and cause a very serious problem to our way of living,\u2019 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the worst-case scenario, it could mean that European consumers can no longer enjoy local high-quality citrus fruits.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMoth menace\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOther pests that can damage citrus fruits have already taken hold in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe larvae of moths and butterflies attack young flowers and leaves of citrus trees in spring. The insects have spread all around the Mediterranean, including in Spain, Italy and Greece.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe are not just scientists in the lab, but we can collaborate with other people, like farmers, for the benefit of society.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Souad Rouis, IPM-4-Citrus\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If they destroy the leaves, they destroy the tree,\u2019\u0026nbsp;said Luc Fillaudeau, a professor of bioengineering from France.\u0026nbsp;\u2018If they destroy the flower, they destroy the fruit.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAlong with Souad Rouis, a Tunisian professor of biotechnology, Fillaudeau led a project that has developed two biopesticides to tackle these larval pests more effectively.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir two institutions \u2013 the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute and the Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax \u2013 have been working together for more than 20 years, including on student exchanges.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis cooperation formed the building block for the EU-funded\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/734921\u0022\u003EIPM-4-Citrus\u003C\/a\u003E, according to\u0026nbsp;Fillaudeau.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project started in 2017 and wrapped up in January this year. It used two types of bacteria, one from Tunisia and another from Lebanon.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENatural protection\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThese tiny organisms produce a natural substance that protects against the pest \u2013 the perfect ingredient for their biopesticides.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe biopesticides are now produced on an industrial scale by German company JKI, another partner in the project.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We have switched from research to the market and from the lab to the field,\u2019 said Rouis.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers believe that their solutions can reduce the use of synthetic pesticides while being less harmful to humans and the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIPM-4-Citrus also showed that the natural pesticides are efficient and safe. The project leaders hope for approval soon to get their products on the European market.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAt the same time, a goal has been to try to keep the biopesticides affordable so they can also be used in other parts of the world such as North Africa and the Middle East.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBeyond the lab\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe biopesticides could soon not only save citrus but also protect other fruits from larval pests.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers are already working on a new project, called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prima-med.org\/section-2-results-are-out\/\u0022\u003EPRIMA SAFWA\u003C\/a\u003E, to tackle more plant pests with the same bioproducts.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EValuable as these goals are, the human dimension of the research is almost equally important, according to Fillaudeau and Rouis.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThese projects allow both their institutions to keep working together. That in turn enables more exchanges and training of young scientists and more cooperation with people in the field.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Thanks to these projects, we can think out of the box,\u2019 said Rouis. \u2018We are not just scientists in the lab, but we can collaborate with other people, like farmers, for the benefit of society.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWatch the video\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ciframe allow=\u0022accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\u0022 allowfullscreen=\u0022\u0022 frameborder=\u00220\u0022 height=\u0022315\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/europa.eu\/webtools\/crs\/iframe\/?oriurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FbRKuJbwaE4U\u0022 title=\u0022YouTube video player\u0022 width=\u0022560\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-wava3sunu2gsyv4vtgakqugrl4woiqpbp33ipmmaizk\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-wAVa3Sunu2gSyv4VtgaKQugRL4wOiqpbp33IPmmaIzk\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]