Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) are here to stay, and growers need multiple management methods for dealing with the deadly HLB disease this pest transmits to trees. The November issue of Citrus Industry magazine offers growers psyllid strategies they can use now as well as details on research investigating a biological way to knock down ACP.
Several fresh citrus growers in Florida are already using citrus under protective screen (CUPS) to combat ACP. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) Arnold Schumann, Ariel Singerman and Yu Wang take a closer look at CUPS in the November issue. Their article presents four seasons of production data from growing Ray Ruby grapefruit in CUPS, a 10-year projected economic assessment, and consumer preference results that compared CUPS-grown to non-CUPS-grown fruit.
While chemicals have been a key strategy for psyllid management, many growers have only employed conventional systems. UF/IFAS entomologist Jawwad Qureshi compares organic controls to conventional controls in his November feature. Growers may be surprised by his results and encouraged to incorporate some organic products into their spray programs.
Also included in the November issue is an article by Ozgur Batuman and Amit Levy. These UF/IFAS researchers are seeking biological control agents to manage ACP. They are researching viruses found in the gut of the Asian citrus psyllid. It is not yet known at this stage of their research if these viruses are friends or foes of ACP, so their work continues.
Citrus growers looking to earn a continuing education unit (CEU) in the Core category for their restricted-use pesticide license can take advantage of the CEU Central article in the November issue of the magazine. UF/IFAS Extension agent Juanita Popenoe discusses the fate of pesticides. After reading the article, growers who take and pass the accompanying test will earn one CEU.
Find all these articles and more in the November issue of Citrus Industry magazine, coming soon!
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