Meet the tree that could save Florida’s citrus industry
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Donaldson The Donaldson tree, a variety of orange tree that has shown a tolerance for the greening disease. It looks a little ragged in this picture because it's still recovering from Hurricane Milton. (Nick Papantonis)
Donaldson Donaldson seedlings at the USDA's test site near Groveland. (Nick Papantonis)
USDA farm The grove where the Donaldson tree was planted has been decimated by greening, which first arrived at the property around 2010. (Nick Papantonis)
Donaldson USDA-ARS geneticist Matt Mattia opens a bottle of juice from the Donaldson tree. The tree's flavor is identical to traditional orange juice found on supermarket shelves. (Nick Papantonis)
Donaldson Juice from the Donaldson tree at the USDA farm in Lake County, FL. (Nick Papantonis)
Donaldson USDA-ARS geneticist Matt Mattia standing in front of the Donaldson tree. He discovered the tree from 25,000 different specimens he sampled for greening infection. (Nick Papantonis)
Citrus greening A citrus tree infected by HLB, more commonly known as greening. (Nick Papantonis)
Donaldson USDA-ARS geneticist Matt Mattia stands behind a Donaldson seedling at the agency's Groveland-area research farm. (Nick Papantonis)
Future orange juice The USDA's "future orange juice," a blend of disease-tolerant fruits with a slight flavor difference. (Nick Papantonis)
Donaldson An fruit grows on the Donaldson tree, which has shown a tolerance for the greening disease that has killed much of Florida's orange juice industry. (Nick Papantonis)
