303 Status Of Huanglongbing (HLB)(Citrus Greening) Multi Agency Coordination (MAC) Projects on Thermal Treatment of Citrus Trees with Citrus Greening D.A. Komm (1), R. Ehsani (2), P. Ravenna (3) (1) USDA APHIS PPQ, S&T, CPHST AQI Raleigh, NC, USA; (2) University of Florida, lake Alfred, FL, USDA (3) AG Harvesters, Au Gres, Michigan, USA Field Trials- U of Florida Project- Ag Harvester Introduction Citrus trees infected with ‘C. Liberibacter asiaticus’, subjected to steam heat treatments, have shown an improvement in citrus yields and vigor (Fan et al., 2013). Thermal treatment equipment for all sizes of Floridian citrus trees is being developed and improved for citrus trees infected with ‘C. Liberibacter asiaticus’. Two MAC projects are contributing to the development and improvement of thermal steam treatment equipment for all sizes of citrus infected with ‘C. Liberibacter asiaticus’. The status of the two projects is described in poster. Treated Trees Treatment-131°F for 30 seconds Prototype- 1841 treated trees Improved system- 5854 treated trees Total (May, 2016) 7695 treated trees Treatment Timing ( preliminary results) Spring & Summer- Optimal Winter Months Decrease in cold tolerance Inefficient heating Fail to reach treatment temperature Title: AG Harvesters Citrus Steam Machine (15-8130-0487CA) Principle Investigator: Peter Ravenna Objective (1) Determine best way to hold an consistent temperature in canopy of tree for continuous thermal therapy for large citrus trees (18’ high x 20’diamter) Built structure for tent and tunnel Engineered and fabricated a self-contained boiler skid & trailer with a factory test tent tunnel Successful tests of tent and tunnel Issues resolved with SF-50 Boiler by Sioux Corporation Resolved steam supply hoses and boiler skid issues Determined the amount of steam required Project –University of Florida Title: A Compact, Mobile, and Improved Tree Steaming for Thermal Therapy of Individual Medium-sized Citrus Trees (15-8130-0486CA) Principal Investigator: Dr. Reza Ehsani Objective: (1) Improve on the design and effectiveness of the existing steamer prototype. Test performance and operation of modified system by treating up to 10,000 trees. The ‘Improved system” has several benefits over the prototype system which met the objectives of MAC project. Objective (2); Assembly all parts for field trails. Modified AG Harvester tomato harvester with diese4l motor, rubber tracks & hydraulic power supply 20’ wide by 15’ long x 18’ tall steam tunnel with Herculite canopy 50 BHP Sioux Corp SF50 diesel powered boiler with tank and 1725 lb./hr. steam capacity 525 gal supply water tank and pump 9600 watt electrical generator Towed support trailer Objective (3): Field Trails Recommend modifications to the center of gravity & drive mechanism Maneuvers within the grove but needs periodic direction change Proper route planning is required Modifications to include boiler and water supply; eliminates the trailer The tunnel is planned to be open at both ends but colder winter temperatures required closing the ends Tree Evaluation- U of Florida Redesign Prototype- U of Florida Evaluate trees before and after treatment. Collect: tree age, scion, rootstock, root density, leaves for PCR, soil type, soil pH, cultural practices, fertility programs pest control, yield and fruit quality etc. Pre & Post treatment- Tree canopy decline index (DI) score Data collection on-going Optimized positioning of the tree enclosure Larger square tree enclosure for trees up to 10 feet tall Increased the number of steam nozzles in tree enclosure to improve steam distribution Controls for monitoring and operation consolidated into a single control panel A street-legal mounting platform in order to transport system on roads A larger steam generator, doubling capacity of the previous system Addition of two axial fans in the tree enclosure to improve steam circulation All systems will be compared to one another to provide growers with multiple options for thermotherapy Thermotherapy- Three Videos 1.Open QR code reader 2. Hold device over QR code 3. automatic or push button 4. Open. Operation of Thermal Systems Ag Harvester- Full sized mature tree prior to HLB thermal therapy Reference Fan,G., Xia,Y., Lin, X., Cai, Z., Hu, H., Wang, X., Ruan, C., Lu, L., Sequeira, R., & Liu, B. (2013) Evaluation of thermotherapy against Huanglongbing (citrus greening) under laboratory condition. Proceedings of the 3rd International Research Conference on HLB, Abstract no. 7.23P. Orlando, Florida. Ag Harvester Canopy Opening Ag Harvester Continuous Steaming Prototype Improved System