European citrus is under threat.
We build smart solutions with growers and scientists.
Early detection, plant resilience, and biocontrol solutions.
EU funded
๐ New #CITRUSBUSTERS series: one workpackage at a time. First stop, WP1: surveillance & early detection.
71โ79% HLB accuracy from microbiome. Six "survivor" trees in Brazil. Drones over Spain. https://t.co/FlIBKrS61s
๐ The future of crop protection might not be about adding chemistry. It might be about activating the chemistry plants already have. A new #CITRUSBUSTERS-supported review in The Plant Journal explains how.
๐ https://t.co/FlIBKrS61s
Europeโs #citrus future is being tested in Brazil. ๐
At the #CITRUSBUSTERS Year 1 #meeting in Limeira: 71-79% HLB detection accuracy, 6,000 resistant-tree candidates in the field, and the first draft genome of Trioza erytreae.
More: https://t.co/TrTvNNMxZI
๐ One year in. #CITRUSBUSTERS heads to Sรฃo Paulo, where HLB has already cost ~30% of Brazil's #orange groves.
Two days of project review and field visits with our host CCSM-IAC. For us, Brazil isn't a case study. It's the field.
What if you could silence a citrus pest at the genetic level?
That's what RNAi does, and it's what #CITRUSBUSTERS is developing against HLB vectors.
No broad-spectrum insecticides or residues. Just precision.
Have you heard of RNA-based tools in crop protection before? ๐
๐ฌ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ย (pathogen responsible for HLB) cannot be grown in a lab.
How do you test a treatment against a pathogen youย can'tย grow?
๐ In this article, we explain why HLB is a threat for Citrus Production in EU: https://t.co/cjA7o00N02
๐ย Citrus is under threat. The research to protect it is underway. Are you following it?
Our newsletter keeps you connected toย the science, the people, and the solutions shaping the future of citrus protection.
๐subscribe:ย https://t.co/n1Uno8qgmg
โป๏ธย By valorising processing residues and prioritising safe, non-synthetic approaches, we aim to deliver preventive tools that can be scaled for commercial productionย โย helping growers and the juice sector alike.
๐งชโ๐ฑโ๐ณย Promisingย biofractionsย move through stepped testing: controlled lab assays, protected citrus trials, then larger-scale evaluation.
This phased approach ensures safety,ย effectivenessย and real-world relevance before any wider use.
๐Follow
๐ฌย We screen candidate extracts for early immune signallingย โย short-term biochemical responses that happen long before visible symptoms.
Identifyingย reliable early signals helps pick the most promising natural elicitors for further testing.
๐ย Weโreย exploring how citrus processing residues can be transformed intoย biofractionsย that stimulate plantsโ own defences.
These nature-based leads could become gentle, scalable tools for preventive plant protection.
๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ: ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ
๐คScience tailored to growersโ needs
๐คTools designed for processors and suppliers
๐คFaster uptake means stronger, more predictable supplies.
๐https://t.co/f5mhS5qG1f
๐๐ข๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก = ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐
๐ฅคย Climate change + global trade = higher pest & disease pressure,
โก๏ธย For juice brands, investing in early warning and resilient material is an investment in supply security.
๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฒ-๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐
In our project, we extract bioactive compounds from orange and mandarin peels, assessing their ability to trigger plant immune responses.
๐ Less waste, less chemicals, stronger natural plant defences.
๐ฑIn CITRUSBUSTERS, we:
โข screen large mutagenized citrus populations,
โข develop ๐๐๐-๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ approaches,
โข work in full alignment with current and emerging EU regulatory frameworks.
๐ฏ Long-term resilience against HLB - safely and sustainably.