Expedite permanent options for citrus greening disease management, while simultaneously emphasizing human health and prevention of antibiotic resistance

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded a $1.903 million cooperative agreement to Estes Citrus, Inc. on May 1, 2026, to expedite permanent options for citrus greening disease management while emphasizing human health and prevention of antibiotic resistance. The award funds work at Estes Citrus's facility in Vero Beach, Florida through April 30, 2028.

Citrus greening has reduced Florida's citrus yields by 90 percent over the past two decades. Oxytetracycline, a temporarily-approved antibiotic administered via injection into citrus trees, does not cure the disease but extends tree survival and improves yields. This cooperative agreement supports research and field validation activities to develop and demonstrate permanent management solutions that address both disease control and public health concerns regarding antibiotic use in agriculture.

Antibiotic injections into florida citrus trees have recently been adopted as a way to manage citrus greening, a disease that has devastated the florida citrus industry and reduced its yields by 90% over the past 20 years. Citrus trees treated with the temporarily-approved antibiotic, oxytetracycline, are not cured of citrus greening, but survive longer and produce better yields.