The 1000th tree okayed for growing by California’s Citrus Clonal Protection Program happens to be the oldest living orange variety in the state. The program, housed at UC Riverside, is the first of its kind in the world. It began in the 1950s, and its scientists spend up to three years testing and clearing citrus...

New research affirms a unique peptide found in an Australian plant can destroy the No. 1 killer of citrus trees worldwide and help prevent infection. Huanglongbing, HLB, or citrus greening has multiple names, but one ultimate result: bitter and worthless citrus fruits. It has wiped out citrus orchards across the globe, causing billions in annual...

UC Riverside scientists are betting an ancient solution will solve citrus growers’ biggest problem by breeding new fruits with natural resistance to a deadly tree disease. The hybrid fruits will ideally share the best of their parents’ attributes: the tastiness of the best citrus, and the resistance to Huanglongbing, or HLB, displayed by some Australian...

The fruits of UC Riverside’s research are even easier to enjoy with the Citrus Gifts collection expanding its line of products and making them available online. The collection, featuring marmalades and olive oils from citrus and bee research, have been sold in campus stores for about six years. In June, the campus began selling them...

Curator of the Citrus Variety Collection from 1947 to 1982, he researched citrus rootstocks and varieties and traveled the world to help the California Citrus Industry survive threats such as the citrus tristeza virus. RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Dr. W. P. Bitters, a long-time citrus researcher who served as curator of the Citrus Variety Collection at...