- Author: Georgios Vidalakis
- Contact: Therese Kapaun
Citrus germplasm and nursery stock production have been through dramatic changes the last few years in California. The CCPP Foundation Operations at LREC after 51 years of outdoor production have transitioned into protective structures. CCPP and industry have been always in close collaboration. As part of the continuing efforts to improve and optimize the budwood production schemes and protocol the CCPP invited nurserymen with experience in the new nursery technologies to visit CCPP and discuss ideas about the LREC Foundation Operations.
The visit was successful and very productive. Similar visits will be planned in the future as needed and as specific questions arise and different industry and scientific expertise is required. The CCPP has been inviting all stakeholders to its Foundation Operations for decades now during the annual Foundation and Evaluation Block Walkthrough. It appears however that a different visitation model will be required under the new and upcoming quarantine and compliance regulations for the CCPP Protected Foundation Blocks. This first visit with nurserymen may very well evolve to become a new type of “Undercover CCPP Walkthrough”.
---- Georgios Vidalakis, Director, Citrus Clonal Protection Program