Spirits of French Lick

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Dogs specially trained by Agriculture Research Service scientists have proven to be the most ef ficient way to detect huanglongbing — also known as citrus greening — accord ing to a paper just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Currently, the only solid hope of curtailing the spread of citrus greening is to eliminate trees with the disease as quickly as possible to prevent further spread.

Early detection of the citrus greening pathogen is crucial because trees can be infected and act as a source to spread the disease months or years before showing symptoms that are detectable by the naked eye.

ARS plant epidemiologist Timothy Gottwald with the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce discovered that dogs can be trained to sniff out the presence of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacteria that causes citrus greening, with greater than 99% ac curacy.

“We found that, once trained, these dogs were able to identify infected trees within two weeks of the trees being inoc ulated,” Gottwald said. “The dogs also were able to distinguish the citrus greening pathogen from a variety of other citrus bacterial, viral, fungal and spiroplasma pathogens, including closely related Liberibacter species.”

During testing, the citrus greening detector dogs had total of four to 15 false negatives and false positives on 950 to 1,000 trees per dog. Occasionally, the dogs alerted on clean trees that were in the same spot where an inoculated tree had been placed in previous tests due to residual scent.

In contrast, the only currently USDA-approved method for confirming the presence of the citrus greening pathogen — a DNA-based assay called a polymerase chain reaction test detected less than 3% of infections at two months, 16 of 30 inoculated trees at 16 months and 20 out of 30 in 17 months.

PCR tests also require considerable time, financial and human resources for sampling, processing and laboratory work. They are very expensive to use as a general surveillance tool.

The training is similar to that of explosives sniffing dogs, in which the dogs are taught to recognize a particular odor and to sit down next to the source once found. The dogs are rewarded with play time with a toy.

However training is more extensive and specific because the dogs are trained to detect a bacteria infecting a plant, and the two cannot be separated.

So far, Gottwald’s program has trained 19 dogs obtained from European breeders of detection canines because of their keen abilities and drive.

“When we ran epidemiological models, we found canine detection combined with infected tree removal would allow the citrus industry to remain economically sustainable over a 10-year period, compared to using molecular assays or visual inspection combined with tree removal, which failed to suppress the spread of infection,” Gottwald explained.

Citrus green sniffing dogs have been deployed for nine months in California and northern Florida. In the past decade, huanglongbing has caused more than 70% decline in the production of oranges for juice and the fresh fruit market in Florida and threatens other states, making it the largest economic threat to the $3.35 billion U.S. citrus industry.

Since it was first found in the United States in 2005, citrus greening has spread to Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and Louisiana.

Expert dog detector Maci spots a citrus tree infected with HLB during an orchard review.

The Best In Drainage Management

KatoLight 85kw and 55kw PTO Generators. ..................... Starting @ $4,495

J&M Double Basket Roller, Like NEW .... ............................. $12,750

GP 3000TM 30’ TurboMax Hyd. Adj Gang Angle.........................$44,500

McFarlane IC5132 32’ Vert Till NEW DemoCarryover .................. MUST SELL

Landoll 6230 30’ Rock Flex Disc 24” Blades - Very Little Wear ...............$32,500 Landoll 9650 42’ F-Cult Spike Drag & Reel Leveler New ..... OLD PRICE - MUST SELL Sunflower 6433-43’ Soil Finisher, NEW . . . ................ OLD PRICE - MUST SELL Kinze 3500 8/30, 15/15, No Till . . . $32,500

River Valley Pipe is a drainage pipe manufacturer in central Illinois offering 100% virgin Hi Vis green tile.

The Products Needed For Successful Drainage Management Domestically Sourced/Crafted With Integrity A full service tile yard, we pride ourselves on timely delivery with the most consistent quality.

2IÀFH 6DOHV ZZZULYHUYDOOH\SLSHFRP Call our sales team to learn about the advantages of working with us! Unverferth 410XL Scale, Talc Appl, 21’ Conveyor, Like New .............$23,750

Travis HSC2000 - 2 PRO Box Tender Looks Like New.......................$9,950 MF1745 Baler 4x5 Bale, Net Wrap, Like New. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$21,950

Kubota M7060, Cab, AC, FWA, Hydro, Loader, 660 hrs. ............... $36,950

Bobcat S530 Skid Steer, 2 Speed, Full Factory Warranty ...............$27,995

H&S 110 Line Wrap Bale Wrapper Just Arrived, Auto Control ........ Sell or Rent

Bobcat T750 Cab w/AC, 2 Speed 1325 hrs. Factory Warranty ...............$42,900

Massey-Ferguson 4708 w/Loader, FWA, 80 HP 630 hrs. Factory Warranty .....$35,900

Massey-Ferguson 1759 Cab. AC, LDR, FWA, 59HP 500 hrs. ..................$36,350

H&S 2958 Bale Processor, Exclusive Rocking Cradle, Just Arrived, Demo Available

Great Plains 15’ No-Till Drill, Gross Attach. Markers.................... OLD PRICE

Bobcat 331 Cab w/Heat, Thumb ......... .................... Starting @ $14,750 Brilliant SS12 12’ Sure Stand Grass Seeder, Just Arrived

Bobcat T650 Cab w/AC Narrow & Wide Track

NH 311 Baler - Good Condition .....$5,950

Sunflower 6630, Vert Till, 24’ ....$27,500

www.McAgPlus.com

888-488-6728 1966 N. St Rt. 1 Watseka, IL 60970