ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) - A group of University of Florida researchers are using steam in an attempt to kill a deadly citrus disease that's ravaging the state's groves.
Researchers at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences say they've tented and then enveloped trees in 136-degree steam for about 30 seconds in an attempt to kill citrus greening bacteria.
Citrus greening is a bacteria spread by a psyllid. The disease begins in the root and starves the tree of nutrients, eventually killing the tree.
Florida's citrus growers have been the hardest-hit in the U.S. and researchers are working furiously to come up with a vaccine or cure.
Researcher Reza Ehsani says the steam treatment is not a cure for greening because it cannot reach the trees' root system.
