Location: Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research
Project Number: 6034-21000-020-012-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Feb 12, 2024
End Date: Jun 30, 2024
Objective:
1. Diverse Propagation: Propagate and evaluate sweet orange and orange-like scions for each accession to establish the plant material needed for a large, replicated field trial that will be planted as the A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm expands.
2. Greenhouse Upgrades: update greenhouses to maintain citrus trees and create an environment conducive to the successful growth of diverse citrus varieties.
Approach:
1. Scion Propagation: Scion material will be cleaned, surface sterilized, and dipped in antibiotic solution for 24 hours to generate HLB free uncertified budwood for each of over 60 accessions. Each accession will be budded on 2 rootstocks with 25 replicates to generate a minimum of 20 replicates for each rootstock scion combination. Trees will be tested with PCR to ensure that all propagates are HLB free. Tree care will be conducted uniformly across genotypes to ensure that field planted trees have low variability before exposure to HLB conditions in the field.
2. Greenhouse Upgrades: update greenhouses to maintain citrus trees and create an environment conducive to the successful growth of diverse citrus varieties.
