Florida citrus production has declined by 81% in total tonnage since 2020, mainly due to the deadly citrus greening caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), a fastidious, phloem-limited, unculturable, gram-negative, α-proteobacterium vectored by the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP). Over $1.5 billion in funds have been mobilized since 2006 to overcome this disease. As an innate immune response, the infected plant deposits callose and p-protein in the phloem sieve pore, decreasing the flow of photoassimilates, leading to a rapid decline and, eventually, a plant collapse. The high cost of production has economically devastated Florida citrus growers. Using HLB tolerant rootstocks is one alternative to mitigate CLas effects, and the growers depend on the University to provide the most up-to-date recommendations. To address this, we have developed a convenient mobile application that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assist growers in making the best rootstock selection for their groves based on horticultural traits, abiotic tolerances, and specific disease/pest incidences. The Florida Citrus Rootstock Guide Expert System 5th Edition is planned to be released by 2025 and is based on the information released in the previous editions. In addition to the release of the mobile application on all major platforms, an interactive web-based rootstock table has been updated with recent field data and newly released rootstocks. Historical and unavailable rootstocks are excluded from the selection list, increasing the incidence rate for a well-suited rootstock selection. Users can download, send, and retrieve rootstock reports on their mobile devices. The app’s design was generated from grower/user surveys to be as user-friendly as possible. The expert system is built on the ES-Builder Web application, McGoo Software, and is developed utilizing Google’s Dart programming language. The University of Florida is committed to establishing an AI-based university. The app's scalability will allow it to fully integrate into future AI projects to combat epidemics like citrus greening.
