Recent research has shown there are shade benefits for citrus, especially in the fight against citrus greening.
There are multiple research projects that are on-going thanks to money provided by the Florida Legislature. One project is looking into shade benefits for citrus trees. The results of the research were shared at a recent OJ Break in Bartow and relayed in a Citrus Industry article. See the details below.
Shade Benefits for Citrus
Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), presented on the benefits of shade for citrus research, like citrus trees in hammocks. The research seems to suggest that shade helps citrus trees deal with citrus greening. “The leaves are dark green, they’re (trees) producing fruit,” Rogers said, adding, “and seem to be unaffected by HLB disease.”
In explaining how shade would be beneficial for citrus trees, Rogers pointed out that sunshine can put stress on citrus trees and that “the fact that’s standing out the most is … that shade does have some positive effects on plant growth.”
The research into shade benefits is one of 13 or 14 research studies and Extension projects funded by over $1 million in funds given by the Florida Legislature given to the University of Florida for research. “The University of Florida (UF) each year gets legislative appropriations from the state, and these are Citrus Initiative legislative funds,” Rogers explained.
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