Journal of Citrus Pathology

The Australian citrus budwood and seed scheme is one of the oldest in the world and has been instrumental in maintaining the health, productivity, and uniformity of Australian citrus plantings. The scheme is run as a non-profit company under the trading name of Auscitrus, with most facilities at Dareton in far southwest New South Wales (NSW). In this paper, we provide a brief history of the citrus industry in Australia, including key events that led to the creation of a seed and budwood scheme in NSW in 1928. The emergence of plant diseases such as Phytophthora gummosis, citrus tristeza and exocortis compelled the industry to adopt new propagation and cultural practices. Industry and government continue to support and strengthen Auscitrus and Australian citrus biosecurity in the areas of diagnostics and surveillance, germplasm management, public education, policy and strategy. Auscitrus is a key component for the Australian citrus industry to manage endemic and respond to exotic graft-transmissible diseases such as huánglóngbìng.