Credit: UC Riverside UC Riverside is unique among universities in having a highly recognized avocado breeding program first developed 70 years ago. New grants totaling $6.3 million will help UC Riverside solve problems facing American avocado orchards, including a lethal fungal disease called Laurel Wilt. Laurel Wilt can destroy an entire avocado orchard in a couple of weeks once symptoms develop. It is already present in Florida. Without effective treatments, it will inevitably spread to California, which is the nation’s leading producer of avocados. Laurel Wilt is caused by a fungus, Raffaelea lauricola, that the non-native redbay ambrosia beetle introduces in trees of the Laurel family, which includes avocado.