Researchers from the University of Florida plan to utilize $2 million from an initiative by UF President Ben Sasse for a Crop Transformation Center to help Florida farmers improve production of citrus and specialty crops. Front and center among goals for the center is to find citrus varieties that can tolerate or even resist citrus greening disease, also known as Huanlongbing (HLB). Growers are looking for solutions to the disease, which has caused a 70 percent to 80 percent reduction in production to Florida’s signature crop.

The center objectives include:

• Developing rapid genome improvements for citrus.
• Leveraging artificial intelligence to discover new gene functions to identify targets for genetic modification.
• Use clear communication and engagement with regulatory agencies to increase the transparency of the approval process.
• Infuse social science to ensure rapid adoption of new technologies among growers and the public.
• Effectively communicate to the public.

Eric Triplett, chair of the UF/IFAS Microbiology and Cell Science Department, founded the center as a cornerstone to get HLB-tolerant cultivars to growers faster. He stated: “We’ve long recognized that breeding is the Swiss Army knife of agricultural science. With the right genetic crop modifications, we can solve almost any challenge in growing food. The center will allow us to much more effectively employ biotechnology tools to increase the speed and accuracy of our plant breeding,” said Scott Angle, UF’s interim provost and senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, who has for the past three months been meeting with citrus industry leaders to garner support and input on goals for the center.”

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com