Florida Citrus (PRNewsFoto/Florida Department of Citrus)
The Lakeland Ledger reports that Florida citrus growers are hoping state and federal regulators will approve an emergency exemption for use of three bactericides against the deadly citrus greening disease.
The compounds have been used successfully for decades to fight infections on pear and apple trees and other crops.
Early trial results have shown the three compounds effective in reducing levels of greening bacteria in some trees.
Florida’s citrus production has experienced a decline of about 60 percent since the first case of greening was confirmed in 2005.
