Australia could hold the cure for a devastating citrus greening disease that has sent orange juice prices soaring worldwide, killing crops in the United States and East and West Africa.
University of Queensland researchers have discovered a gene in the native Gympie lime that is resistant to the disease, and hope to incorporate it into commercial citrus varieties at home and overseas.
Described as a "sticky golf ball" full of oils with a tangy flavour, the wild lime — named Doojay in Gubbi Gubbi language — grows in the region from Beenleigh, on the northern Gold Coast, to Gympie.
UQ Professor of Innovation and Agriculture Robert Henry said Australia's global isolation had resulted in genetically distinct flora, which was the main contributor to disease resistance in native citrus.
He said wild crops had been overlooked in the past but could be highly valuable in the pursuit of global food security, placing Australia in a unique international position.
Looming risk
It's a race against time to find a cure before citrus greening reaches Australian shores.
There have been outbreaks in Timor-Leste, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, according to the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
"Internationally, these diseases are causing significant problems for citrus production, and places like Florida have reduced production," Dr Henry said.
"The world price for orange juices has increased substantially because of a shortage created by the impact of this disease.
"These characteristics [of the Gympie lime] will certainly lead to greater interest in producing these, not only in Australia but internationally and in potentially enabling export of these products out of Australia."
International interest
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) at UQ PhD candidate Upuli Nakandala is leading the research and said it was the first time the structure and function of genomes in the Gympie lime had been identified.
Once the assembled genomes were imported into an international database, some of the 40 countries battling citrus greening would be interested in the native lime, Ms Nakandala said.
"People are interested in looking at these Australian wild limes, because people know that there are important genes in these limes, so I think it would be very beneficial to have these genomes," she said.
While the research is yet to be experimentally validated, Ms Nakandala said the initial discoveries had proved resistance against a range of natural elements, including frost and boron.
Showcasing native Australia
Sunshine Coast-based horticulturist and scientist Darren Williams grows and sells native Gympie limes from his private nursery and has provided samples for the disease resistance study.
Mr Williams said the UQ research was "incredibly important" because of the overseas interest in the genomes.
"We need to employ scientists and get research happening because it's not just for the sake of our environment and ourselves, but for jobs and industry," Mr Williams said.
"There's an incredible opportunity here, and we don't want to squander that."
