Oak Leaves Contain Potential Cure for Citrus Greening Disease, Researchers Say

Scientists in Florida have confirmed what some citrus growers suspected for years — that oak trees could inhibit citrus greening disease, which has brought the once-thriving Florida industry to the brink of collapse.

Oak leaves represent “the first potential organic cure” for the destructive tree sickness, said Lorenzo Rossi, a UF/IFAS biologist and co-author of a study published in the January 2020 issue of the journal Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.

Research over the past year at a University of Florida greenhouse in Fort Pierce showed that citrus trees recovered from citrus greening when sprayed and drenched with treated water twice a week for two months. The water was treated by steeping chopped oak leaves in it overnight, allowing leaf compounds to leach out, according to the published findings.

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