The October All In For Citrus podcast focuses on Hurricane Ian and its impact on the state’s signature crop. The storm tore a path across Florida’s citrus-growing regions, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.
Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, provides details on how the university’s citrus team steps up in the aftermath of storms like Ian. UF/IFAS reaches out to growers to survey damage to develop an estimate of the economic impact of the storm. In addition, resources are provided to growers to assist in post-storm recovery.
Disease management after a storm is critical to help trees recover from the stress of high winds, heavy rains and flooding. Megan Dewdney, an associate professor of plant pathology with UF/IFAS, joins the October podcast to discuss which diseases growers need to scout for after Ian. She also provides disease management tips and insights on what happens to a citrus tree and its root system during a hurricane.
Tripti Vashisth, an associate professor of horticultural sciences with UF/IFAS, has been studying the use of gibberellic acid to promote fruit retention in HLB-infected citrus. It turns out the plant hormone also can help citrus trees bounce back after hurricane-induced stress. In the podcast, Vashisth discusses how growers can utilize gibberellic acid to help rehab trees. She also shares anecdotal observations that trees previously treated with the product appeared to weather the storm better in some groves.
To hear more about measures growers can take to rehabilitate groves in the wake of Hurricane Ian, listen to the October episode of All In For Citrus. The podcast is a joint project of UF/IFAS and AgNet Media.
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