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2026-09-27 09:34:15

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Bacterial Infection Following Foreign Insects
Reduced Production by 95%…Industry Destruction
Gene Edit to Increase Resistance by Thousands of Times
State Government Grants 440 Billion Subsidies

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The introduction of genetic technology to save Florida oranges was depicted with AI. [Chat GPT]

The orange industry, which has been a symbol of Florida in the United States and has been a pillar of the economy, has overcome the bombing of the "fatal epidemic" that has continued for the past 20 years and launched a final counterattack to survive.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 22nd (local time) approved cutting-edge gene editing and biotechnology by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), raising hopes for a real recovery for the first time in decades for local farms that were on the verge of collapse.

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The main culprit behind the collapse of the Florida orange industry is the so-called Citrus Greening. The disease, which is spread by 'Asian citrus trees' (foreign insects) carrying microscopic bacteria, blocks the vascular system of orange trees to cut off moisture and nutrients. The oranges of infected trees fall or become grotesquely distorted before they are ripe, resulting in a bitter taste.

The scale of damage in the past 20 years, when the disease swept away, is devastating. Florida orange production is down 95% compared to before the outbreak of the disease. Last year alone, 60,000 acres (about 243?) of orchards, 26% of the total, were closed, and about 500,000 acres (about 2,000?) of farmland is currently left unattended.

A series of bankruptcies of processing companies, which are related industries, is also a problem. Currently, only four orange juice processing plants, which reached 54 in the 1980s, remain in existence.

The site of abandoned factories in major production areas, such as Frostproof, where orange transport trains were constantly traveling in and out of the past, has turned into a junk shop selling currently dismantled processing facilities. Farmers have managed to survive by diversifying their businesses to blueberries, bamboo, and ornamental plants.

However, two key technologies approved by the U.S. EPA this year have emerged as game changers to save Florida Orange.

Bio-company Soilcea and the University of Florida researchers have developed a rhizome that is strongly resistant to citrus green disease bacteria using CRISPR gene editing technology. According to the submitted data, the tree was more than thousands of times more resistant to pathogens than existing varieties, showing a figure close to being academically "uninfected." It is the world's first case in which a CRISPR-edited crop has been approved for commercial purposes.

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Another biotech company, Silvec, has overcome the limitations of existing antibacterial proteins (petides), which are quickly broken down in trees. By using a virus that does not harm plants as a medium, it is made to continuously produce antibacterial fetides. Trees with this technology have reduced bacterial levels by more than 90%, and a patch-type technology that can be attached to the stems of existing trees that have already been infected is also being tested.

The Florida government has set up a two-year support plan worth a total of 330 million dollars (about 440 billion won) to rebuild the agricultural ecosystem and will provide subsidies to farmers who purchase resistant seedlings. Major seedling farms such as Agromillora have already begun producing more than 1 million new technology seedlings, and farmers are bombarded with pre-orders.

However, there are many mountains to climb before the industry is fully normalized. It takes at least two years for oranges harvested from new resistant trees to be planted next spring to enter the juicer plant. The key is whether the infrastructure and agricultural workforce, which have declined for decades, can withstand two more years.

Consumer churn also raises concerns. Orange juice consumption has fallen by less than half due to soaring orange juice prices and the growth of alternative drinks. Even if production recovers, homework remains to capture the taste of consumers who have become cold.

Experts stress that the technology is not limited to the orange industry. It is expected that it will be a universal weapon to fight plant epidemics that threaten agriculture around the world, such as Pierce's disease, which dries grapes, and corn necrosis disease. The world's agricultural community is paying attention to whether Florida's orange farmers, which have set the stage for a major reversal in decades, will be able to recover from the crisis of extinction.