PRE-HLB

The EU citriculture is threatened by the emerging disease Huanglongbing (HLB, also known as Greening), considered the most devastating citrus disease due to its rapid dispersal, severity and fast progression of symptoms.

This disease causes important damages such as :

• huge losses in fruit production and quality;
• cost and difficulty of preventing new infections;
• lack of resistant citrus varieties and economically feasible treatments for infected trees;
• absence of durable control mechanisms.

HLB generates multimillion economic losses to citrus industry. Now it is time to start the research in the EU because the vector Trioza erytreae has been detected and is spreading in Spain and Portugal.
The overarching objectives of Pre-HLB :

• to develop and implement a holistic contingency plan to protect the citrus sector in the EU from HLB disease drivers
• co-create new solutions to manage the disease through a multidisciplinary approach in collaboration with experienced partners from America and Asia.