Dogs may be the answer to the citrus crisis in Florida
There is currently a citrus crisis happening in Florida. But, farmers may end up with some unlikely help in the form of dogs and their impressive noses.
It is a proven fact that dogs have very impressive olfactory senses. Not only have pups been able to detect cancer, but they are often trained to help sniff out drugs, bombs, and even people. However, now it looks like they will be putting their super noses to the test for the citrus industry in Florida.
According to Spectrum News, it seems that the Florida citrus industry has been hit hard by citrus disease, which has ravished crops and left many farmers worried for the future. And yet there may be a beacon of light in the form of dogs, who are known for their superior sniffers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dr. Tim Gottwald admits that at this point, Florida has suffered massive losses in terms of the citrus crop, with nearly 75 percent of production being lost. In an effort to combat this citrus crisis, the USDA has issued a grant that would allow trained dogs to use their noses to attempt to actually sniff out the disease.
The hope is that these dogs will be able to detect citrus disease in the trees early so that the farmers can find a way to save the trees and the crop itself. The goal is to have the pups sniffing out the disease early enough to stop it from spreading and getting worse.
According to Bill Moraitis, who is with F1-K9, “The dogs’ olfactory senses are thousands of times better than what a human can smell,” which could make a massive difference in helping to save the citrus crops and the industry as a whole in Florida.
If the dogs are successful, the hope then becomes that these pups will be able to also save other crops that are suffering from their own diseases. Considering how successful canines are at detecting things like cancer and other illnesses with just their superior noses, it makes sense that we would want to see if they can help detect something like citrus disease.
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Hopefully these pups will be able to save the day and the citrus industry. After all, we can’t imagine what life would be like without our Florida orange juice.