CEND Symposium Speaker Dr. Hailing Jin finds first substance capable of controlling citrus greening

On January 10th, 2020, Dr. Hailing Jin stood in Li Ka Shing at the 12th Annual CEND Symposium, presenting her work on small RNA trafficking between plants and fungal pathogens. Through her research, she reported, she has found that pathogen gene-targeting RNAs represent a new generation of fungicides that are durable and eco-friendly. Her talk was followed by researchers from UC Davis and Stanford University, discussing their research on Huanglongbing, also known as Citrus Greening Disease, which serves as a threat to citrus farms in Florida and California.

Months later, Dr. Jin and her team of scientists from UC Riverside announced that they have found the first substance capable of controlling citrus greening – a treatment that effectively kills the bacterium causing the disease with a naturally occurring molecular found in wild citrus relatives. This antimicrobial peptide is stable, easy to manufacture, and safe for humans.

The discovery of this treatment has huge potential implications for helping agricultural communities and improving the environmental impact of citrus production. CEND is proud to continue to amplify the research of such scientists, as we work together for a healthier word.

To watch Dr. Jin’s talk at the 12th Annual CEND Symposium, click here.

To learn more about the discovery at UC Riverside, you can find the whole article here.

Photo Credit: “Citrus dream” by Sunfrog1 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0