{"id":180124,"date":"2025-06-19T09:07:56","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T07:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/?p=180124"},"modified":"2025-06-19T09:11:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T07:11:10","slug":"citrusbusters-protecting-europe-against-emerging-citrus-fruits-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/ainia-news\/citrusbusters-protecting-europe-against-emerging-citrus-fruits-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"CITRUSBUSTERS: Protecting Europe against Emerging Citrus Fruits Threats"},"content":{"rendered":"<html><body><div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=\u201d\u201d]European citrus growing faces a growing threat, one that can still be prevented. As part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/ainia-news\/ainia-coordina-proyecto-europeo-combatir-plagas-devastadoras-citricos\/\">European CITRUSBUSTERS project<\/a>, funded by the Horizon Europe programme, we are working to stay ahead of two of the most devastating pests affecting citrus crops worldwide. From early detection to sustainable biocontrol, we are committed to scientific innovation and cross-sector collaboration as key tools to protect a crop that is essential to both the economy and food supply. If you\u2019d like to learn more about how we\u2019re working to safeguard citrus production in Europe, keep reading.<\/p>\n<h2>Citrus Fruits: An Essential Crop Under Threat<\/h2>\n<p>Citrus fruits are a regular part of the diet in most countries around the world. Oranges, mandarins, lemons, and grapefruits are consumed daily, either as fresh fruit or as juices, flavorings, or ingredients for industrial use, cooking, and baking. Their cultivation, which is widely distributed (Brazil, China, India, the United States, Spain, Italy, Greece, etc.), is under threat from two pests that have already begun casusing serious damage in some regions:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Priority Pests for the EU: HLB and Black Spot<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li><em data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"25\">Candidatus Liberibacter<\/em>, the bacterium responsible for huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, is transmitted by the vector <em data-start=\"144\" data-end=\"161\">Trioza erytreae<\/em> and causes a disease that progressively weakens the tree until it dies, also affecting the taste, size, and quality of the fruit.<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-start=\"293\" data-end=\"462\">The fungus <em data-start=\"304\" data-end=\"329\">Phyllosticta citricarpa<\/em>, which causes citrus black spot, leads to visible lesions on the fruit peel, reducing its commercial value and hindering export. Due to their rapid and easy spread, as well as the severe damage they cause, both diseases have been classified by the EU as priority quarantine pests.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><strong>A Critical Situation in the Mediterranean Region<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Although Europe is currently free of both pests, their geographical proximity keeps the sector on high alert. For instance, the vector <em data-start=\"189\" data-end=\"202\">T. erytreae<\/em> has already been detected in areas of northern Spain, and the fungus <em data-start=\"272\" data-end=\"297\">Phyllosticta citricarpa<\/em> is present in Mediterranean regions of North Africa. These nearby outbreaks make prevention and preparedness critically important today.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A European Project to Stay Ahead of the Risk<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This is why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/ainia-news\/ainia-coordina-proyecto-europeo-combatir-plagas-devastadoras-citricos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CITRUSBUSTERS<\/strong><\/a> was born, a European project funded by the Horizon Europe programme that aims to anticipate the problem by developing innovative tools to detect pests and protect citrus crops against these threats. The project focuses on integrated pest management, combining cutting-edge science, sustainable development, and collaboration among key stakeholders in the sector.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"520\" data-end=\"580\">The project is structured around three main lines of action:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Early Detection and Smart Monitoring: <\/strong>One of CITRUSBUSTERS\u2019 key activities is the early detection of outbreaks using technologies such as hyperspectral imaging, LIDAR sensors, and artificial intelligence models. These tools will be developed to correlate variables such as soil health (volatile compounds and microorganisms), the presence of vectors, and the overall condition of the trees. In addition, the cultivation of the pathogenic microorganisms involved will be studied to better understand their growth, development, and infection dynamics.<\/li>\n<li><strong data-start=\"1148\" data-end=\"1194\">Strengthening the Plants\u2019 Natural Defences:<\/strong> On the one hand, the project will explore the potential of certain natural substances to activate citrus defence mechanisms against pathogens. It will also investigate genetic editing and mutagenesis techniques aimed at developing pest-resistant citrus varieties.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safe and Sustainable Biocontrol:<\/strong> CITRUSBUSTERS is committed to advanced biological solutions for pest treatment, such as microencapsulated endolysins to lyse bacteria, microbial compounds with antifungal activity, and RNA interference systems to compromise the viability of the <em data-start=\"1770\" data-end=\"1775\">HLB<\/em> vector insect. The goal is to reduce the use of conventional plant protection products while respecting the environment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 data-start=\"43\" data-end=\"90\"><strong data-start=\"43\" data-end=\"90\">Beyond Technology: Science with Real Impact<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"92\" data-end=\"618\">But <strong>CITRUSBUSTERS<\/strong> goes beyond technology. One of the project\u2019s core and distinctive pillars is the collaboration between farmers, scientists, public authorities, and citizens. Through this cooperation network, the project aims to ensure that the solutions developed are realistic, effective, and embraced by all stakeholders. Additionally, the social, economic, and environmental impacts of each measure will be assessed, and practical guidelines and recommendations will be generated for their implementation.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"625\" data-end=\"668\"><strong data-start=\"625\" data-end=\"668\">A European Commitment to Citrus Farming<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"670\" data-end=\"970\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">With initiatives like <strong data-start=\"692\" data-end=\"709\">CITRUSBUSTERS<\/strong>, Europe is taking a stand to protect global citrus production. Preventing today is the best way to avoid losses tomorrow. Science, innovation, and collaboration will be our strongest allies in preserving the vitality of a crop that is part of our identity.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-180088 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/citrusbusters-logo-1024x106.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/citrusbusters-logo-1024x106.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/citrusbusters-logo-300x31.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/citrusbusters-logo-768x79.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/citrusbusters-logo-1536x159.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/citrusbusters-logo.png 1546w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=\u201d\u201d]European citrus growing faces a growing threat, one that can still be prevented. As part of the European CITRUSBUSTERS project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme, we are working to stay ahead of two of the most devastating pests affecting citrus crops worldwide. From early detection to sustainable biocontrol, we are committed to scientific [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":260,"featured_media":166917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1971],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technological-innovation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CITRUSBUSTERS: Protecting Europe against Emerging Citrus Fruits Threats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CITRUSBUSTERS is a European project that anticipates emerging threats to citrus fruits through innovative technologies, sustainable pest control and cross-sector collaboration.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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Su tesis doctoral se centr\u00f3 en la producci\u00f3n de anticuerpos en plataformas vegetales para aplicaciones de inmunoterapia oral pasiva, combinando biotecnolog\u00eda vegetal, expresi\u00f3n recombinante y aplicaciones biom\u00e9dicas. Tras el doctorado, realiz\u00f3 un primer posdoctorado en B\u00e9lgica en el VIB (Plant Systems Biology, Universidad de Gante), financiado mediante una beca posdoctoral FWO belga competitiva, donde trabaj\u00f3 en ingenier\u00eda gen\u00e9tica de plantas y en el desarrollo de vacunas orales. Posteriormente, obtuvo una beca Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie de la Comisi\u00f3n Europea, con la que continu\u00f3 su etapa posdoctoral enfoc\u00e1ndose en el dise\u00f1o de anticuerpos y su producci\u00f3n en plataformas vegetales como complemento alimentario para nutrici\u00f3n animal. Despu\u00e9s de una etapa en Grimstad (sur de Noruega) por motivos de reunificaci\u00f3n familiar, regres\u00f3 a Valencia para incorporarse al CSIC como investigadora posdoctoral, donde trabaj\u00f3 en edici\u00f3n gen\u00e9tica de plantas. Tras su etapa acad\u00e9mica, se incorpor\u00f3 a AINIA, en el departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda y Biotecnolog\u00eda Industrial, donde particip\u00f3 activamente en la creaci\u00f3n y consolidaci\u00f3n del laboratorio de biolog\u00eda molecular e ingenier\u00eda gen\u00e9tica, contribuyendo al impulso estrat\u00e9gico de esta l\u00ednea dentro del centro. 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Juarez","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73b83fa7660ab29c0b2777b20de9f147fbf4ccaddd152866a58ce417a1524b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73b83fa7660ab29c0b2777b20de9f147fbf4ccaddd152866a58ce417a1524b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f73b83fa7660ab29c0b2777b20de9f147fbf4ccaddd152866a58ce417a1524b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Paloma Juarez"},"description":"Paloma Ju\u00e1rez es doctora en Biotecnolog\u00eda, con formaci\u00f3n inicial en Ciencias Biol\u00f3gicas por la Universitat de Val\u00e8ncia y un m\u00e1ster en Biotecnolog\u00eda Molecular y Celular de Plantas por la Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Valencia. Su tesis doctoral se centr\u00f3 en la producci\u00f3n de anticuerpos en plataformas vegetales para aplicaciones de inmunoterapia oral pasiva, combinando biotecnolog\u00eda vegetal, expresi\u00f3n recombinante y aplicaciones biom\u00e9dicas. Tras el doctorado, realiz\u00f3 un primer posdoctorado en B\u00e9lgica en el VIB (Plant Systems Biology, Universidad de Gante), financiado mediante una beca posdoctoral FWO belga competitiva, donde trabaj\u00f3 en ingenier\u00eda gen\u00e9tica de plantas y en el desarrollo de vacunas orales. Posteriormente, obtuvo una beca Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie de la Comisi\u00f3n Europea, con la que continu\u00f3 su etapa posdoctoral enfoc\u00e1ndose en el dise\u00f1o de anticuerpos y su producci\u00f3n en plataformas vegetales como complemento alimentario para nutrici\u00f3n animal. Despu\u00e9s de una etapa en Grimstad (sur de Noruega) por motivos de reunificaci\u00f3n familiar, regres\u00f3 a Valencia para incorporarse al CSIC como investigadora posdoctoral, donde trabaj\u00f3 en edici\u00f3n gen\u00e9tica de plantas. Tras su etapa acad\u00e9mica, se incorpor\u00f3 a AINIA, en el departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda y Biotecnolog\u00eda Industrial, donde particip\u00f3 activamente en la creaci\u00f3n y consolidaci\u00f3n del laboratorio de biolog\u00eda molecular e ingenier\u00eda gen\u00e9tica, contribuyendo al impulso estrat\u00e9gico de esta l\u00ednea dentro del centro. Despu\u00e9s de cinco a\u00f1os en este departamento, pas\u00f3 a formar parte de la Unidad de Innovaci\u00f3n, donde actualmente ejerce como l\u00edder y gestora de proyectos europeos, con un fuerte enfoque en biotecnolog\u00eda, transferencia de tecnolog\u00eda e innovaci\u00f3n aplicada.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/ainia\/sobre-ainia\/ainia-contacto-informacion\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/ainia-news\/author\/paloma-juarez\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180124"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180129,"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180124\/revisions\/180129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ainia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}