In the latest All In For Citrus podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, discussed a statewide citrus workshop hosted at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in January.
The event provided a day full of educational presentations covering a wide range of topics. Rogers noted several of the talks explained how HLB impacts citrus trees internally and how certain therapies help counteract those effects.
Ute Albrecht, UF/IFAS associate professor of plant physiology, also joined the podcast to discuss her research on the use of oxytetracycline (OTC). Albrecht reported the yield results from a fairly large trial in a commercial Hamlin grove that has had three applications of OTC. The trial results reinforce the thinking that OTC has a cumulative effect over the course of several years as root systems get reestablished and tree health returns. The third-year yield data show significant yield increases in OTC-treated trees compared to controls.
Davie Kadyampakeni, UF/IFAS associate professor of citrus water and nutrient management, summarized the take-home messages from his presentation at the workshop, which focused on optimizing citrus nutrition. A key point was to ensure nutrition is always available to citrus trees and in amounts that the trees can actually take up due to reduced root systems from HLB. This is even true with slow-release fertilizers. He recommended split applications throughout the year to ensure there is some overlap as one dose of slow-release fertilizer plays out.
Kadyampakeni also gave a brief update on the status of new recommendations from UF/IFAS for citrus nutrition. He said there has been a slight delay in releasing the update but expects it will be coming soon.
Don’t miss this episode of All In For Citrus. The podcast is a partnership between UF/IFAS and AgNet Media.
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