Geraldo Silva
Geraldo Silva, a scientist with Fundecitrus in Brazil, shared thoughts about postbloom fruit drop (PFD) and its control at a recent seminar in Arcadia.
Silva says Brazilians assume that the PFD inoculum is present in groves at all times, because consecutive days of rain can bring on a PFD outbreak 10 years after a previous outbreak. “We can have a new outbreak because the pathogen survives on leaves,” Silva says.
Silva says Brazilians think applying low-volume fungicide sprays at a fast pace through the grove works best against PFD because it greatly reduces the amount of time needed to treat an entire grove. Scientists consider fast response to PFD to be crucial.
The researcher also discusses a Brazilian model for forecasting PFD conditions and outbreaks.
The Arcadia seminar that drew more than 100 growers and others was hosted by multi-county citrus Extension agent Steve Futch.
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