Join Citrus Australia on USA study tour
21 January 2019
Growers and other citrus industry stakeholders have the chance to join Citrus Australia and Hort Innovation on a USA study tour, attending a Huanglongbing conference in California and visiting orchards and nurseries in California and Florida.
The tour will take in part of the sixth International Research Conference on Huanglongbing (IRCHLB VI) in Riverside, California from March 12.
Tour participants will then meet with technical specialists (surveillance, detection, trapping) in California to see the efforts in preventing spread of the Asiatic Citrus Psyllid vector of HLB.
The tour will then visit Florida to see the devastation caused by the combined impacts of HLB and Citrus Canker.
Florida citrus production has declined by 75% from 291.8 million boxes in 2003-4 to 68.7 million boxes in 2016-7 following the discovery of HLB in 2005.
The proposed tour will be limited to 12 participants, with a portion of tour costs reimbursed by Hort Innovation.
Participants will be required to extend their learnings to the wider industry and will be selected from a range of industry roles and regions.
The tentative departure date is Monday, March 11 and would return to Melbourne on Friday, March 23.
For further information or to express your interest in attending contact Jeff Milne at Citrus Australia via email jeff.milne@citrusaustralia.com.au or phone 0427 352 742.