Managing HLB Horticulturally

University of Florida researcher Tripti Vashisth at Citrus Expo in August discussed the horticultural steps that can best help growers with managing HLB. She summarizes her presentation in an interview with Citrus Industry magazine.

“The most important thing with managing HLB-affected groves is you want to fertilize your groves with good nutrition,” she says. She also emphasizes the need for good irrigation and making sure that soil pH is optimal to provide good nutrient uptake.

“You want to make sure that your trees are pruned – there’s not much deadwood, they are getting good light interception,” Vashisth adds. And she says, “You want to keep your tree as free of stress as possible because it’s already going through a lot of stress with HLB.”

Vashisth also emphasizes the importance of small, frequent applications of water and nutrients because “the root system is compromised in HLB-affected trees.”