Mary Sutton, assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist at the University of Georgia, provided an update on the status of the state’s citrus crop and discussed a fertilizer trial her laboratory is conducting.
FRUIT DROP AND FRUIT SIZE
Sutton reported that June drop is wrapping up for much citrus. “We should see less fruit drop as we move into the second half of the season,” she stated.
Fruit remaining on trees are rapidly growing, according to Sutton. “Most of the satsumas I’ve seen are a little smaller than golf ball size now,” she reported.
“The trees I’ve seen seem to have a lot of single fruit and not a lot of clusters this year,” she added. Sutton noted that when there are clusters of fruit, there is more competition among those fruit for available resources. “For this reason, clustered fruit tend to grow smaller than single fruit, so we may see some larger fruit at harvest this year,” she stated.
SUMMER FLUSH
Sutton reported seeing some summer flush emerging. She noted that citrus will go through at least three flushes a year — a spring flush with flowering, a summer flush and a fall vegetative flush.
“I have seen a few flower buds on several trees,” she said. “If these off-season flowers do set fruit, they will be several months behind the rest of the fruit on the tree and will likely not be ready by harvest.”
FERTILIZER TRIAL
Sutton’s laboratory is conducting a large fertilizer trial.
“We’re looking at several rates of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus to start developing a rate recommendation for our satsumas here in Georgia,” she said.
One of the major parts of the project is regular sampling and measuring to monitor how different treatments are working. Researchers have been taking leaf and soil samples regularly throughout the season.
“We’re measuring the size, weight and chlorophyll content of the collected leaves before we send them off for a nutrient analysis,” Sutton reported. “We’re extracting citrus roots from the soil samples to look at root density and likewise sending the soil off for a nutrient analysis.”
Researchers have monitored the crop load since flowering and will continue to monitor fruit growth and quality through harvest.
“All these measurements give us an idea of how the trees are responding to the different treatments,” Sutton stated. “It will take the trees a while to adjust to the different treatments, so we are still a few years out from any results.”
Source: Georgia Citrus Association
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