Brazil’s Fundecitrus recently declared battle in the fight against HLB-spreading psyllids. The citrus association’s recently launched “It’s battle time!” advertising campaign reinforces the need for rigor in psyllid control during the most critical period of the year.
It is at this time, between the end of winter and spring, that high numbers of psyllids are captured in traps installed in Brazil’s orchards. Those high capture numbers are spurred by the favorable climate and the beginning of plant sprouting.
According to Fundecitrus, 59% of the total psyllids captured in 2023 occurred in three months of the year: August, September and October. For this reason, the attention of citrus growers needs to be doubled.
Constant monitoring of traps and correct spraying are determining factors in reducing impacts caused by the psyllid. “For our citrus industry, this is the main time of year for the incidence of the insect, said Ivaldo Sala, agronomist and coordinator of the Transfer and Technology department at Fundecitrus. “The good results in the coming months … depend on the good quality of management that will be put into practice during this period.”
It is necessary for citrus growers during this period to intensify psyllid management actions. Those actions include:
- Adequate chemical control with rotation of product modes of action with good efficacy
- Good quality of application
- Regionalized management among neighboring citrus growers
Correct control of the psyllid is also essential to avoid the occurrence of resistance, which leads to a population increase and, consequently, an increase in the incidence of the disease in orchards.
“Citrus growers should avoid using molecules with proven resistance and use others that are showing good effectiveness in combating the psyllid,” Sala said. “These products should always be used with different modes of action.”
To assist in effective psyllid control, Fundecitrus provides free tools for citrus growers. The Psyllid Alert, which monitors the insect population in several regions of the citrus belt, is one of them. The tool is fundamental for management and serves as a thermometer to indicate population registration and serve as a basis for joint and regionalized measurements. Also available to growers is Evaluate Psyllid, which provides the results of insecticide experiments on field psyllid populations from different regions of Brazil’s Citrus Belt.
Source: Fundecitrus
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