The Opportunity for Grape

Grape is the world’s most valuable fruit crop, prized for its multiple uses as a fresh fruit and processed product. In the US grape is the 6th most valuable crop at the farm gate and wine production is increasing. For example, winegrape acreage of the largest producer, California, increased by 1% in 2006 (www.nass.usda.gov/ca) with all grapes in the state valued at $3.2 billion at the farm gate.  The global industry is based primarily on one species, Vitis vinifera, comprising nearly all of the many varieties of table and wine grapes. Although Florida is the 2nd largest wine market in the US after California, with an annual turnover of $1.5 billion, it cannot compete in production because V. vinifera cannot be grown in its sub-tropical environment due to disease problems. Therefore, most grape products must be imported.

In the southeastern US in general, the endemic presence of Pierce’s Disease (PD) — caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa and transmitted by insects— has prevented the development of a competitive commercial wine and grape industry.  The bacterium/insect vector relationship is unique in that X. fastidiosa only inhabits the water-conducting vessels of grape upon which the insect is adapted to feed.  The bacterium causes disease by disrupting water flow in the vine and the insect coincidentally moves the bacterium from vine to vine while feeding. This disease has made its appearance in the fine wine growing regions of California in recent years, where it is currently a significant concern.  A host of fungal diseases (e.g., anthracnose, botrytis, eutypa, powdery & downy mildew and more) and viral diseases (notably vine degeneration caused by grape fanleaf virus) also exact a considerable economic toll on the table and wine grape industry, not only in the US, but worldwide.  

If disease resistant V. vinifera varieties and root stocks that thrive in our environment can be produced, a business opportunity for an entirely new grape industry in Florida and the Southeast will be created. Furthermore, such varieties, tested in the Florida environment, will be of use in virtually all other grape growing regions if the world where bacterial and fungal diseases are problematic.  The genetic engineering technology licensed by FLG was developed specifically to create the needed disease resistant varieties. With over 40% of the U.S. patents in grape biotechnology, and many foreign patents, in its portfolio, FLG is strongly positioned to lead this agricultural revolution. Download recent grape biotechnology PowerPoint presentation (5 Mb)

The Opportunity for Citrus

Florida and California are major producers of citrus. Citrus species and varieties produced in Florida are subject to several bacterial diseases, notably citrus canker and greening. Citrus canker is caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis and is spread by wind-driven rain and movement of infected materials. Federal and state programs to eradicate canker have failed and were abandoned in 2006, thus canker currently cannot be controlled. Citrus greening is a new disease threat to Florida citrus caused by Candidatus L. asiaticus that inhabits the plant's phloem tissue (i.e., nutrient transmitting vessels) and is transferred from plant to plant by a species of Citrus psillid, an insect that feeds on phloem sap. Although the cause of another disease, citrus blight, is still controversial, it is thought by some to be incited by the same Xylella fastidiosa bacterium that produces Pierce's Disease (PD) in grape. All of these bacterial diseases of citrus bear similarity to PD of grape. Thus, it is quite possible that genetic engineering technology under long-term development for grape will be directly applicable to solve these disease problems in citrus. Professor Jude Grosser and colleagues at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center have genetically engineered grapefruit with FLG's proprietary bidirectional dual promoter system and disease resistance genes. Further research to determine if the transgenic plants resist citrus greening is underway.