A backyard in southwest Florida: Ft. Myers. Paul Goldfinger photograph. January, 2018 © Blogfinger.net Click to turn the oranges into grapefruits.
TONY BENNETT:
January 29, 2018 by Blogfinger
A backyard in southwest Florida: Ft. Myers. Paul Goldfinger photograph. January, 2018 © Blogfinger.net Click to turn the oranges into grapefruits.
TONY BENNETT:
It’s hard to imagine not making fresh squeezed orange juice here, a region known for its “citrus” growing. They don’t have orchards, they have “groves,” and the orange trees have been plentiful and profitable since orange growing was introduced in the early part of the last century.
In the ’80’s and ’90’s, the groves were threatened by frosts and hurricanes. But now the industry is in peril due a tiny bug which is carrying a bacterium which is slowly killing off the trees. The disease, from China, first appeared here in 2005. It’s called “greening.” Irma, which hit in September, made the situation even worse this season.
The fruit is typically misshapen, and one symptom is that the oranges fall to the ground prematurely. (Maybe that’s what’s going on in the photograph.)
The crop is in serious decline state-wide. Some growers are closing their businesses, and unless a cure can be found, the entire industry can be wiped out. Some farmers are growing olives and other crops instead of citrus.
Scientists have found that putting mesh netting over the trees will prevent infection, but that is very expensive in an industry with thin profit margins. There also is a optimism that a tree will be developed which is resistant to the bug.