In December, FAPESP, the Brazilian Fund for Citrus Protection (FUNDECITRUS), and the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture at the University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP) inaugurated the Center for Applied Research (CPA) in Innovation and Sustainability in Citrus Production. The objective is to tackle the main diseases that affect citrus farming, such as citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC), also known as yellowing, sudden citrus death, and greening, the average incidence of which reached 44% in São Paulo orchards in 2024 (see Pesquisa FAPESP issue nº 343). The CPA will also contribute through education, knowledge sharing, and technology transfers. Based at ESALQ in Piracicaba, São Paulo State, the center will be staffed by researchers from other units at USP, the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), the State University of São Paulo (UNESP), the Biological Institute of São Paulo, the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), and EMBRAPA, in addition to institutions from Portugal, France, Spain, the USA, Australia, and England. FUNDECITRUS and FAPESP will contribute R$90 million of the R$200 million investment planned for the next five years, with the rest coming from nonfinancial parties in the form of investments in infrastructure, salaries, and other aspects.
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