The facility provides a secure environment for research on invasive plant pests; those known to occur in California and those that have yet to arrive.
The Contained Research Facility provides researchers with the opportunity to investigate invasive plant pests that otherwise could not be studied under normal laboratory conditions. The facility is designed to ensure a highly controlled and contained research environment that does not allow the release of experimental organisms to the environment.
HLB causes Florida to fall behind California in citrus production
For the first time in 70 years, California has surpassed Florida in citrus production. Florida groves have been decimated by a disease called huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease, that threatens citrus production in California, too.
“HLB is not just bad for farmers and the economy,” said Professor Carolyn Slupsky, a biochemist and nutritionist with the University of California, Davis. “The loss of fresh oranges and other citrus is a real possibility and that would seriously impact our health.”
