See the likely modifications to Best Management Practices (BMPs) citrus nutrition rates for UF/IFAS citrus nutrient recommendations.
In 2022, Florida’s state legislature authorized Senate Bill 1000, which compelled UF/IFAS to update outdated citrus nutrient recommendations that went into Best Management Practices, or BMPs. The legislation was in response to citrus grower complaints that BMP citrus nutrition rates did not take citrus nutrient needs due to citrus greening into account. In February of 2023, UF/IFAS held a water and nutrient management workshop that included a tour of a Citrus Research and Education Center grove where a nutrient-rate trial is taking place to create updated citrus nutrient recommendations. The likely recommendations to come from the trial thus far were shared by UF/IFAS professor of crop nutrition, Kelly Morgan, in a Florida Grower article. See the details below.
Likely Updates to Citrus Nutrition Rates
Morgan shared a number of different modifications to current citrus nutrition rates that will likely be seen in the next UF/IFAS Citrus Production Guide.
Lower Soil pH. “We have found that as soil pH goes up, yields come down, and tree health declines. For that reason, we will lower recommended pH levels from 6.5 to 7 down to 6.0 to 6.5,” Morgan said in the article.
Nitrogen Requirements. “We have found that about 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre appears to be the rate to maintain the tree’s health and is best for fruit production. That will probably be a change forthcoming in our nutrient recommendations for citrus. We don’t have quite enough data yet but expect that to come,” Morgan said in the article.
The article explains that in the passed legislation, “citrus growers were given an exemption to allow certified crop advisors to make site-specific nutrient recommendations for individual groves to allow more flexibility in current BMP regulations.” This process has been hampered by a lack of certified crop advisors.
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