基因编辑的树能救佛罗里达的柑橘吗？

In Florida, in the United States, Ron English is looking at two trees.

One tree is big, with many leaves.

The second tree is small, with yellow leaves.

He says, look how big this tree's leaves are.

The tree beside it has yellow leaves.

He says the disease is already in the small tree.

The disease is called citrus greening.

In 2005, the disease reached Florida.

A small insect carries the disease from one tree to another.

The insect is tiny, but it can fly.

This insect is also in the tree.

When the disease enters the tree's body, the tree cannot fight it.

The tree is sick, the fruit is bitter, and the color is bad too.

People do not want bitter fruit.

After a few years, the tree dies.

When the roots die, the tree dies too.

There is no medicine for this disease.

The growers tried many things.

They used medicine and thought of other ways.

But the trees still got worse year after year.

Before the disease came, Florida growers sold 300 million boxes of fruit in one season.

At that time, there were 300 million boxes in one season.

Now, there are only 15 million boxes in one season.

From 300 million to 15 million is a big drop.

Many growers lost their jobs.

Ron English's family grew citrus for many years.

Florida's citrus is famous.

In 2015, their company was gone.

He says their trees used to be very good.

Now he watches the trees get worse year after year.

He is very sad.

Now he looks after trees for Soilcea.

Soilcea is a company in Tampa.

An American company is making this new root.

The company used gene-editing technology to make a new root.

Genes are the things inside a tree.

Editing genes means changing the things inside the tree.

This technology is new.

The company's people say gene-editing technology can make trees not afraid of the disease.

The roots are under the tree.

The leaves are above, and the roots are below.

When people see yellow leaves, the disease has been in the tree for a long time.

The company's people say half the roots are already dead.

So they look at the part below the tree.

When the roots are good, the tree is good.

The company says the new root is not afraid of this disease.

The new root lets the tree's body fight the disease.

When the tree's body is good, the fruit is good.

The growers can also use less medicine.

In the company's field, Ron English looks at many new trees.

These new trees were planted last year.

There are older trees beside them.

The new trees are big, with many leaves, and they are green.

The tree beside them is small, with yellow leaves.

He says, look how big the new tree's leaves are.

The disease has already entered the tree beside it.

The company's people are happy.

In April 2026, EPA said yes.

The growers can plant these new trees now.

EPA says this fruit is the same as other fruit.

But the fruit is the exam.

The fruit takes many years to appear.

Whether the fruit is good depends on whether it tastes good.

The taste of the fruit also has to wait.

Whether the fruit tastes good also has to wait.

Whether the fruit is sweet can only be known by tasting it.

He wants to taste the fruit.

Only after ten years can we taste it.

Whether the price is good also matters.

The price of the fruit also matters.

Only when the price is good will growers plant it.

Whether growers plant the new trees also depends on the fruit.

The company's people say that after ten years, we will know.

After ten years, we will know whether the trees are good and whether the fruit is sweet.

Now the company's trees are good.

But without ten-year-old trees, we do not know.

Ron English says he will watch these trees.

The people of Florida will also watch these trees.

Can these trees bring Florida's citrus back?

Is ten years a long time?