Recent citrus nutrient research looked at the effects of potassium, calcium, and boron on fruit size and quality.

Citrus greening, also known as HLB, has severely affected citrus in Florida, including fruit size and quality. Research has been on-going to find a way to combat this through nutrients; according to a Citrus Industry article on such research by UF/IFAS, “In the past few years, many studies have evaluated nutrient management for HLB-affected sweet oranges, but very few to none have investigated potassium and boron to enhance fruit quality.” See the details and the outcomes of the research below.

Citrus Nutrient Research

According to the article, the research was “a field trial on Sugar Belle and Tango mandarins to determine the effects of potassium, calcium and boron on fruit quality. The nutrient treatments were foliar applied from March through October every 45 days in addition to grower standard fertilization.” The field trial lasted for two years.

According to the article, results of the research included:

  • “Both foliar potassium and boron treatments resulted in better yield, fruit size, total soluble solids/titratable acidity (TSS/TA) ratio and peel color than in untreated trees.”
  • “Potassium treatment was found to be most preferred for sweetness and flavor among all the treatments.”
  • “Calcium treatment did not result in better yield or quality.
  • “Calcium-treated fruit had better fruit firmness and shelf life as well as less disease incidence than other treatments.
  • “These findings can be extrapolated to sweet oranges.”
  • “Supplementing potassium and boron is a good option, especially during stage 2 and early stage 3 of fruit development (June–October).”

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