Making Healthier Plants
We’re bringing back Florida citrus with HLB-resistant trees.
A Breakthrough Development
The Tool Florida Citrus Growers Have Been Waiting For
With support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research Programs, Soilcea has developed a Carrizo rootstock variety—CarriCea T1—that is resistant to HLB (Huanglongbing translates to “Yellow Dragon Disease” and is also known as citrus greening).
Since its discovery in Florida in 2005, HLB has helped kill 50 million trees, led to the loss of 47,000 jobs lost, resulted in an estimated $76.5 billion in lost economic impact, and slashed citrus production by a staggering 95%—from 291.8 million boxes to 14.6 million. HLB has also spread beyond Florida and is now present in California, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Hawaii, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Our Technology
CRISPR Precision Breeding
Mirroring the evolutionary process of gradual adaptation and natural selection, Soilcea, in collaboration with the University of Florida, is using CRISPR to restore the natural ability of citrus trees to defend against HLB. The USDA classifies the resulting fruit as non-bioengineered. Soilcea’s new citrus varieties are demonstrating significantly reduced disease levels and vigorous growth in the field.
This image shows the striking difference: a robust, HLB-resistant Soilcea tree compared to a struggling control tree—both planted at the same time.
Meet Our Team
Yianni Lagos, JD/CFA
President & CEO
Quinton Allen, PhD
Senior Scientist
Ron Edwards
Business Advisor
Brendan Mormile, PhD
Scientist
Ron English
Citrus Grower
Ava Turchiarolo
Lab Technician
Elizabeth Newmiller
Regulatory Coordinator
Keval Patel
Lab Technician
Andrew Dill
Greenhouse Grower
Kimberly Gildea
Lab Technician
Summer Haddock
Lab Technician
Cheyenne Haines
Lab Technician
Utsab Ghimire
Scientist
Sofia Ocampo
Lab Technician
Advisory Board
Ron Edwards
President and CEO of Evans Properties
Dr. Harold Browning
President of Premier Citrus Apz
Dave Crumbly
Vice President, Agricltural Services at Florida’s Natural Growers
Fran Becker
Senior Vice President of Peace River Citrus Products
Clay Pederson
Managing Director of Agromillora Florida