Post-Hurricane Damage Assessment and Fruit Drop

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) on Oct. 16 presented a hurricane recovery webinar less than a week after Hurricane Milton crossed the state. Among the topics addressed were damage assessment and fruit drop.

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

Multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt recommended that growers check trees for damage in multiple locations within groves, starting closest to the storm’s track and working their way out. Hurricane Milton made landfall late Oct. 9 near Siesta Key in Sarasota County, then crossed the state on a northeasterly track across Florida’s Citrus Belt.

Oswalt suggested that growers identify and tag specific trees for follow-up observations, because hurricane damage will likely continue to progress.

Growers should also identify potential food-safety issues following the hurricane, Oswalt advised. Fruit that was in contact with floodwaters should not be harvested.

Most standing water and the heaviest rainfall occurred on the north side of Hurricane Milton’s track, Oswalt reported.

FRUIT DROP

Growers and others reported greatly increased fruit drop soon after Hurricane Milton crossed the state.

Premature fruit drop has been a major problem for growers ever since HLB was found in Florida in 2005. UF/IFAS Associate Professor of Horticultural Sciences Tripti Vashisth noted that HLB exacerbates fruit drop. She added that trees with thinner canopies lose more fruit than trees with full canopies.

Vashisth pointed out that fruit close to maturity drops more than fruit further from maturity. She noted that more leaf and fruit drop is expected. She reported that applications of some plant growth regulators could aid in reducing fruit and leaf drop. See Reduce Post-Hurricane Fruit Drop With PGRs for more details.

Adequate irrigation also will help in reducing fruit drop, Vashisth added. 

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