Citrus canker, a well-known scourge that first appeared in Florida 90 years ago, disfigures citrus fruit and weakens trees, causing them to drop fruit prematurely and leaving them susceptible to other diseases. Canker can infect grapefruit, oranges, tangelos, pomelos, limes, lemons, tangerines and other citrus fruits. Oranges and grapefruits are Florida's major citrus crops, with 90 percent of production used for juice. The only way to stop spread of the disease, experts say, is to eradicate diseased trees. Eradication programs are controversial in Florida, where homeowners have great affection for backyard fruit trees.
Citrus is Florida's second-leading business, surpassed only by tourism.
For years, inspectors thought the outbreak was contained to south Miami-Dade County groves, only to find recently that it had spread north into neighboring Broward County. Officials said that hurricanes Floyd and Irene last year may have enhanced spread of the pathogen. About 750 pathologists, surveyors and tree cutters were attacking the disease, concentrating on new outbreaks in the Broward towns of Coral Springs and Margate. They hoped to erect a barrier at the Broward-Palm Beach County line to keep canker out of rich citrus production regions of Palm Beach County and north into the large production areas in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River, according to Mark Fagan, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture's Citrus Eradication Program. The task is labor intensive.