See proven methods for Asian citrus psyllid control.
Florida citrus growers are in a war against the Asian citrus psyllid, the insect that spreads the citrus greening bacteria. Since no cure or treatment to stop the destruction of citrus greening has yet been found, stopping the vector that spreads the disease is another avenue. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences entomologist Jawwad Qureshi discussed psyllid control options in a presentation at the Citrus Expo. Those options are discussed in a CitrusIndustry.com article. See Qureshi’s suggestions below.
Psyllid Control Options
Qureshi discussed three options for psyllid control:
Psyllid Sprays: The article maintains Qureshi said that starting spraying during the winter dormant period is most effective. ““Do it individually or do it in a collaborative effort, but you must do it… you can reduce the (psyllid) populations tremendously before you get into the spring growth and the rest of the growing season.” Studies have found when growers band together to form citrus health management areas, or CHMAs, and spray collectively, citrus populations decrease over individual spraying.
Reflective Plastic Mulch. “We now have a couple of studies that have shown a huge impact. You use insecticides with a mulch and you’ll get almost a double impact in terms of reduction in the psyllid populations.”
Biological Control. Qureshi discussed using with beneficial insects and organic options like soap and oil. “I think we can reduce the use of conventional insecticides and the cost.”
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.
Image courtesy of USDA ARS Image Gallery.
