ARS | Publication request: Update on packing line protocols for citrus canker and their effects on bacterial survival

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 4, 2008
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Markets for Florida citrus are severely restricted by regulations in place to minimize the spread of citrus canker to citrus producing areas. Included in these regulations are accepted protocols for sanitation and coating of fruit. However, these measures do not eradicate all the living bacterial cells that can cause disease from the fruit surface and they do not affect the bacteria protected in wounds on the fruit peel. This report will address the effectiveness of the accepted sanitizers and compare the reduction of bacteria from the fruit when each sanitizer is used. We will also address the state of commercial coatings in relation to the survival of the bacteria causing citrus canker and their effect at reaching hidden pathogenic bacteria in wounds or depressions on the peel.