What went so wrong with Florida’s oranges and grapefruits? Before the 1990s, citrus was the state’s star crop. Then the enemies moved in.

Enemy #1: Citrus Canker

This bacterial disease loves warm weather and lots of rainfall. It can be found destroying citrus trees in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. 

Spot citrus canker: Circular, brown marks form on fruit like sores. Leaves fall off trees. Fruit tumbles down too early. The fruit isn’t harmful to eat. But it’s hard to sell—because it just isn’t pretty. 

Enemy #2: Greening

Aren’t trees supposed to be green? Well, yes. But not this kind of green. Greening is a sickness caused by bacteria. A tiny bug called the Asian citrus psyllid carries the bacteria from tree to tree. Citrus greening shows up in Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Alabama, California, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas. Once a tree is infected, it can’t be cured. Most die in a few years.

Spot greening: Fruit is lopsided, bitter, and green. It can be sold—but just for juice. Imagine 10 citrus trees standing in a row. In Florida, greening has wiped out more than seven of these.

Enemy #3: Hurricanes

Hurricane Ian hit Florida in September 2022. It caused about $1.8 billion in damages to Florida’s agriculture. That was horrible timing for citrus—right at the beginning of growing season.  

Outside Florida . . .

Savor that orange juice you have at breakfast! Oranges are in trouble in many places. Most of the world’s orange juice comes from Brazil. People expect this year’s harvest there to be the worst in 36 years. Why? Flooding and drought.