Florida Plants Gene-Edited Trees to Beat Citrus Disease

After watching a bacterial disease destroy his family's citrus business in 2015, Ron English now tends trees that might save Florida's struggling orange groves.

The trees carry a secret weapon: gene-edited roots designed to fight citrus greening, the deadly disease that's decimated Florida's citrus industry. Since the disease arrived in 2005, the state's orange production has plummeted from 300 million boxes per season to just 15 million boxes this year.

Citrus greening spreads through a tiny insect called the Asian citrus psyllid. Once infected, trees produce bitter fruit and die within years, and there's no cure.

Tampa-based company Soilcea used CRISPR gene-editing technology to create a rootstock called CarriCea T1 that keeps trees' immune systems working. The Environmental Protection Agency approved the trees earlier this year.

"Before you even have symptoms, half the root system is already dead," explains Soilcea CEO Yianni Lagos. That's why targeting the roots is crucial.

In Soilcea's test field, the difference is striking. Trees planted last summer with the modified rootstock stand taller with vibrant green leaves, while nearby trees without the modification show yellowing leaves and stunted growth.

English knows exactly what he's looking at when he spots the discoloration. "That's the disease already working through the tree," he says, pointing to the smaller, non-modified tree.

The Ripple Effect

The success of these trees could revive an entire industry. Citrus greening has forced countless Florida families out of the business their grandparents built, devastating farming communities across the state.

If CarriCea T1 works at scale, growers could rely less on insecticides while producing healthier fruit. The gene-editing approach offers hope where traditional methods like tents and sprays have failed.

The technology also represents a turning point in how we fight agricultural diseases. Instead of constantly battling infections after they appear, gene-editing allows crops to defend themselves.

The ultimate test will come in the next few years as the trees begin producing fruit. Lagos and other growers need to see not just how much fruit grows, but whether it tastes right.

"The data suggests it's gonna work, but until you have a 10-year-old tree, you don't know how the tree is going to perform," Lagos says.

For English, who lost his family's groves to greening, caring for these modified trees feels like a second chance. After years of watching healthy trees decline despite every effort to save them, he's finally seeing citrus trees that fight back and win.