Ute Albrecht, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Horticultural Sciences
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Florida’s citrus industry has faced dramatic losses over the past two decades, largely due to a devastating disease known as citrus greening. Ute Albrecht’s research is focused on helping the industry survive and recover by identifying practical, science-based solutions that allow trees to remain productive despite infection.
Albrecht studies how citrus trees function at a physiological level, with particular attention to how root systems influence overall plant health. Her work seeks to understand how certain rootstocks help trees withstand disease and continue producing fruit under harsh conditions. As she explains, her research focuses on “deciphering rootstock traits and mechanisms” and finding ways to “mitigate the negative impact” of citrus greening on production.
One of her most important contributions has been identifying commercially viable rootstocks that show tolerance to the disease. These discoveries have given growers new options for maintaining productive groves even under significant disease pressure, helping stabilize an industry that has experienced substantial decline.
More recently, Albrecht’s research has focused on developing and evaluating treatment strategies that extend the lifespan and productivity of infected trees. Among these, her work on delivering therapies directly into the tree’s vascular system has produced especially strong results. By using trunk injection methods to deliver antibacterial treatments, her team demonstrated significant increases in fruit production after a single application with even greater improvements over time.
This work has moved rapidly from research to real-world use, with broad adoption by Florida’s citrus industry. As her nominator Pamela Roberts noted, these innovations have advanced the industry’s resilience to citrus greening with widespread use among growers and measurable economic benefits at the state level. The high rate of adoption reflects both the urgency of the problem and the effectiveness of the solutions her research has produced.
Albrecht’s program is also defined by close collaboration with growers, industry groups and regulatory agencies, ensuring that research findings translate into commercial practices. These partnerships have helped move new approaches through testing, approval and large-scale adoption.
In addition to her research contributions, Albrecht mentors students and works with collaborators nationally and internationally, extending the reach of her work to the global citrus community. Through her research, teaching and outreach, she is providing a path forward for a challenged industry while contributing broader insights into managing plant diseases in other crops.