Eric Triplett
At Citrus Expo in August, Eric Triplett presented research from a variety of sources that shows foliar phosphate fertilization reduces HLB symptoms. Triplett is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor and chair of microbiology and cell science.
“If it’s true that we can reduce the symptoms and disease in citrus by foliar phosphate fertilization, the growers will have available to themselves a simple, inexpensive and unregulated means to control disease,” Triplett says. He doesn’t expect that such fertilization would impact fruit quality.
“The key point for me is that sometimes a simple laboratory result can lead to control measures in an unexpected fashion,” Triplett said.
“My view is that recommendations for growing citrus in this state have been to not apply phosphorus, and that’s because the soils here are rich in phosphorus.” He thinks that was a great recommendation pre-HLB, but tells why it may not be the best recommendation now.
Hear more from Triplett:
View Triplett’s Citrus Expo presentation.
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