Скачать или смотреть Dr. Anthemis Melifronidou on the Asian Citrus Psyllid | Info Day Highlights

On 7 May, 2025, the ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence co-organized together with the Department of Agriculture, the Agricultural Research Institute and the Cyprus University of Technology an info day on the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri), a destructive pest of citrus worldwide. The insect transmits pathogenic bacteria (Candidatus Liberibacter spp.), causing the Huanglongbing disease that results in the death of citrus trees a few years after infection. Huanglongbing disease has decimated citrus trees in several parts of the world, including Florida and Brazil.

The event featured word-renowned experts working on biological control of the Asian Citrus Psyllid: Dr. Marc Hoddle (University of Riverside, California), Dr. David Morgan (California Department of Food and Agriculture) and Dr. Alberto Urbaneja (IVIA - Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Spain). In addition, the event featured presentations by local experts working on psyllid control: Dr. Anthemis Melifronidou-Pantelidou (Head of Plant Health and Quality Control, Department of Agriculture), Dr. Nikos Seraphides (Agricultural Research Officer, Agricultural Research Institute, Cyprus) and Dr. Menelaos Stavrinides (ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence – Cyprus University of Technology).

Welcome addresses were delivered by Mr. Andreas Gregoriou, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, and Dr. Artemis Antoniades, Director of the Department of Agriculture.