Orange Sun

The organization became a reference in the development of researches and new technologies that allowed greater productivity

In the last 40 years citriculture has made great strides in Brazil. Increased field efficiency, along with more modern management, has resulted in increased productivity, taking up a smaller area and improving the quality of citrus production. Much of this progress was made thanks to the research and technological development work of organizations such as the Brazilian Citriculture Defense Fund – Fundecitrus, which this year celebrates 40 years of service to the sector.

Maintained by citrus growers and the industry, Fundecitrus has become a world reference in research development. Among them, the Phytosanitary Alert stands out, a tool to aid in the control and integrated management of citrus greening. The system offers a complete X-ray of the disease in all regions of the citrus belt, enabling the control to be more accurately and effectively. Another project related to the management of citrus greening is the biological control of the disease, using tamarixia, insects that are predators of the psyllid and that have been effective in fighting the proliferation of the disease in a sustainable way.

Another work that has become a reference in the sector is the Orange Production Forecast (PES, in Portuguese), which makes a complete inventory of the groves, with planted area, plant conditions and the forecast of the orange crop. All these tools have been developed thanks to investments in the technical staff and also in the agreements with universities such as the University of São Paulo – USP and the University of the State of São Paulo – Unesp, as well as research and technological development organizations, such as Embrapa in Brazil and the USDA and the University of Florida in the United States. Find out more about Fundecitrus’ work in the video below: