The future of the renowned Indian River citrus industry might just be taking root right next door. Researchers at the University of Florida’s Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce are making significant strides in the fight against citrus greening, a disease that has devastated local groves for two decades.
Fighting a Decades-Long Plague
Since 2005, citrus greening has decimated production across the Treasure Coast. Flavia Zambon, an assistant professor at the research center, highlights the severity of the situation, noting that production is currently at its lowest point since the 1920s. With no definitive cure on the horizon, the scientific focus has shifted. Instead of trying to eliminate the bacteria completely, researchers are now concentrating on breeding “tolerant” trees—varieties that can survive the infection and still yield high-quality fruit.
Enter the ‘914’ Hybrid
The most promising development to emerge from the 20-acre research grove is a variety dubbed “914.” While Indian River County is world-famous for its grapefruit, this new contender is technically a different fruit entirely that mimics the flavor profile locals love.
We have some of the varieties that are showing some high tolerance and 914 is one of them… It is a pomelo hybrid. It’s not a grapefruit itself. It is a pomelo hybrid that tastes like grapefruit.
This development offers a glimmer of hope for growers who have struggled to keep traditional grapefruit trees alive long enough to turn a profit.
The Hurdles of Nature and Time
Despite the promise of the 914 hybrid, the path to recovery is not immediate. Developing a new tree is a long-term investment. Zambon explained that some varieties take 15 years just to reach the field, followed by another three years to produce a crop and several more years of evaluation.
Compounding the timeline is the unpredictable Treasure Coast weather. Recent fluctuations—swinging rapidly from warm, rainy days in the 80s to dry spells in the 40s—pose significant challenges for fruit retention. Currently, these resilient trees are being studied in the “Millennium Block” research area in Fort Pierce, with the ultimate goal of making them available to commercial growers to revitalize Florida’s signature crop.
