Megan Dewdney
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Megan Dewdney addresses what growers should do if citrus black spot isn’t near their groves. She summarizes a presentation she made at a recent growers’ workshop in Sebring.
“My few pieces of wisdom have been to tell people to just be conscious of their area and know whether they are located in an area where black spot might have spread to but not be symptomatic yet,” Dewdney says. “The other thing is to become familiar with the symptoms of the disease.”
Dewdney doesn’t recommend spraying for the disease if it’s not known to be in or near the grove. “I don’t know that it would be beneficial for people to spend money … on a problem that they don’t yet have,” she says. “I think it’s best to wait until they do see symptoms and then start taking some actions at that point in terms of fungicide applications.”
She tells where the disease has been confirmed in Florida, as well as quarantine areas. Those areas are in southwest Florida, in the Gulf citrus-growing region.
Hear more from Dewdney:
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