ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida is on pace to produce its smallest crop of oranges in 77 years as a devastating citrus disease continues to exact a toll on growers in a state that traditionally has been No. 1 in the nation in orange production.
The state’s citrus industry has been on a quarter-century slide largely because of citrus greening, a bacterial scourge that can cause massive fruit drops and eventually kill citrus trees. It’s also been faced with another plant disease that can cause the leaves and fruit of citrus trees to drop prematurely and create unappealing lesions on the fruit.
