Joanie Blaxter, Patty Pagaling and Ron Whitehurst are educators on Citrus Greening Disease. They represent a group called the Soil Solutions Network. The group has a purpose to provide people with information about the disease, as well education on alternatives to pesticides. They advocate that non-pesticide solutions can bring citrus to a high level of natural health.
In this interview with Our Ventura TV host, George Alger, they discuss the disease itself, an association of Citrus Greening Disease with the use of herbicides and the role of soil microbiology with plant health.
Named for its green, misshapen fruit, Citrus Greening Disease is one of the most serious citrus plant maladies in the world although the group stresses that it’s not a death sentence for citrus.
The group emphasizes using nontoxic means to better the soil and local ecology and they urge citrus growers to not use herbicides or pesticides.
The disease was first described in 1929 and first reported in China in 1943. The African variation was first reported in 1947 in South Africa, where it is still widespread. Citrus Greening Disease has now killed millions of citrus plants in the southeastern United States and is threatening to spread across the entire country.
While the disease poses no threat to humans or animals, it has devastated millions of acres of citrus crops throughout the United States and abroad.
Producer: GeorgeAlger.com
Director: Petrina Sharp
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