FAPESP, Fundecitrus, and ESALQ-USP create Applied Research Center for Innovation and Sustainability

The Applied Research Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Citrus Farming was inaugurated on December 12th in a ceremony at the Palácio dos Bandeirantes, seat of the São Paulo state government.

Agência FAPESP – The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Fundecitrus (Fund for Citrus Protection) and the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP) are joining forces to combat the main citrus diseases, such as CVC (yellowing), sudden citrus death and, above all, greening, which had a 44% incidence in orchards in the state of São Paulo (Brazil) in 2024. In order to strengthen these actions, the three institutions created the Applied Research Center (ARC) for Innovation and Sustainability in Citrus Farming, which was inaugurated on December 12th during the SP Agro event held at the Palácio dos Bandeirantes, the seat of the São Paulo government, with the presence of Governor Tarcísio de Freitas. 

“The research carried out at the ARC will address a topic as important as greening, which decimated the crop in Florida. Florida never recovered. We can’t let that happen here and we won’t. This applied research center will be focused on greening at first, but will investigate other problems. It is a great asset,” said the governor at the event in which a series of measures to support the agricultural sector in São Paulo state were announced.

The Center will have a total investment of R$200 million for the next five years, renewable for another five. The sum is equivalent to 81.9 million in PPP – Purchasing Power Parity, according to the conversion factor valid for 2023. Of this total, R$90 million will be contributed by FAPESP and Fundecitrus, and the remaining funds will correspond to non-financial contributions, in the form of investments in infrastructure and technicians’ salaries, among others. The Center’s mission will be to develop research, disseminate knowledge and transfer technology to the sector, which is responsible for 8.2% of São Paulo’s exports and 45,000 jobs in the state.

“This is how the state of São Paulo reacts and responds to challenges. Once again, the alliance between FAPESP, Fundecitrus, ESALQ and other research centers will help to reestablish the sector responsible for 8% of the São Paulo economy. And this is just the first step in the plan we have established for agribusiness. This is the first delivery. Within two weeks we will launch the fourth public notice of the Science for Development Centers program, a partnership with São Paulo State Departments. Every real we invest in agriculture returns 12 times,” said Marco Antonio Zago, president of FAPESP, at the event at Palácio dos Bandeirantes.

The ARC’s main line of work will be to promote the formation of new research groups and consolidate others already established, with the aim of controlling greening, especially in areas of knowledge that are not currently covered. For the executive director of Fundecitrus, Juliano Ayres, the joint construction of the ARC is the achievement of a broad front of work committed to the sector. “We’re at the moment when a dream comes true! The ARC represents the joint construction of a project with a very clear objective, which is to promote the phytosanitary and economic sustainability of citrus production, which is so important for the economy of the state of São Paulo. In this way, we’re once again renewing our public and private commitment to the sector in the face of the serious challenge of mitigating the incidence of greening and, perhaps in the future, finding a sustainable way to prevent and/or cure the disease,” he says.

Marcio de Castro de Silva Filho, scientific director of FAPESP, reminded that the partnership between FAPESP and Fundecitrus is historic. “Together, for almost 20 years, we’ve achieved important research results to establish effective strategies for mitigating and understanding greening. Now, we’ve taken a very important step that will transform the citrus industry in the state of São Paulo.”

The two institutions were partners in the Genome Project, which in 2000 sequenced for the first time the genome of a bacterium of economic interest – Xylella fastidiosa, which causes yellowing – and advanced biotechnology research in the country.

Impact of the disease

Today, the total number of citrus groves is almost half of what it was before greening. Orange acreage has decreased by 36.5% and fruit production costs are approximately 20% higher. Annual surveys have shown a dramatic increase in the number of trees affected by greening, from an average of 0.6% in 2008 to 44.4% in 2024. In some traditional citrus-growing regions, the incidence of the disease exceeds 60%. In 2024 alone, the incidence of greening is equivalent to 90.7 million trees that are irretrievably lost, as well as the more than 64 million additional trees removed since 2004 in an attempt to control the disease.

“The disease is attracting a lot of attention because of its ability to negatively affect the productivity of orchards, putting the sustainability of a production chain at risk. The ARC was conceived to find ways and, very soon, provide answers to the most effective management of the disease. Our work will focus on meeting this very important demand and minimizing the impact on harvests,” emphasizes Lilian Amorim, researcher at ESALQ-USP and director of the ARC.

In the last five orange harvests, greening caused premature fruit drop equivalent to 97.2 million boxes, resulting in an estimated revenue loss of US$ 972 million. This scenario has been exacerbated by the increase in the population of the insect vector in recent years, which has resulted in a more than tenfold increase from 2019 to 2024, due in part to the selection of insecticide-resistant individuals, anticipating the spread of the disease in the coming years.

Research lines

The ARC’s main lines of academic research include understanding pathogen-plant vector interactions, with an emphasis on the histopathology, physiology and metabolism of the host (citrus), the genetics of plant-pathogen-host interactions, and the consequences of climate change. The applied research includes the management of greening with an emphasis on host genetic resistance and chemical, biological, physical and cultural control of the bacterium and its vector.

Another applied line of research, aimed at mitigating damage and increasing production, will focus on the production system, plant nutrition and damage reduction, loss assessment, risk of disease occurrence, and economic analysis of management measures and their impact. However, research on other aspects of the crop could be developed in the future.

For the Secretary of Agriculture and Supply of the state of São Paulo, Guilherme Piai, São Paulo’s citrus industry is a showcase for the world, with extremely important socio-economic impacts. “We’re talking about a sector that ranks as the largest exporter in its segment on the planet. The state of São Paulo wants the citrus industry to be stronger and stronger to face this challenging disease. And this is only possible by building partnerships that promote the development of research. The ARC has the best investments and researchers in our state. We’re very optimistic about obtaining results and disseminating knowledge,” he says. 

Technology transfer  

In addition to research, the ARC will have a strong role in teaching, knowledge dissemination, and technology transfer. In terms of teaching, the Center will be involved in the training of human resources, not only those already developed by partner institutions, such as stricto and lato sensu postgraduate programs, but also in offering distance and online courses with the aim of reaching a wider and more diverse audience. Technology transfer will be carried out both by the ARC researchers and by technicians from the Coordination of Integral Technical Assistance (CATI) and the Agricultural Defense Department of the São Paulo State Department of Agriculture and Supply.

The ARC will be based at ESALQ-USP, in Piracicaba, São Paulo. In addition to Fundecitrus, the Center will include researchers from other USP units (Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture – CENA, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering – FZEA, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto – FCFRP), the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), the Biological Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA). 

Researchers from foreign institutions, such as the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and the Andalusian Institute of Agricultural, Fisheries, Agrifood and Organic Production Research and Training (IFAPA) (Spain), the University of Florida and the University of California (USA), the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland Government, Australia), Durham University, Cambridge University and Warwick University (England), and the University of the Algarve (Portugal), will also act as collaborators.

The Center’s mission will be to develop research, disseminate knowledge and transfer technology to the sector, which is responsible for 8.2% of São Paulo’s exports and 45,000 jobs in the state (photo: Daniel Antônio/Agência FAPESP)