The fight against citrus greening (HLB) is an important one, and Florida’s citrus growers were granted an emergency exemption for the use of two different citrus bactericide compounds in March of 2016 by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). Growers are now allowed to use three different name brand products—FireWall 50WP, FireLine 17WP and Mycoshield—to improve tree health in the face of the tree and fruit losses caused by the citrus greening bacteria.
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation now wants to know how the applications are going. A wide range of options are available for growers in using the bactericides, and researchers want the additional data to compare with grower trials that are currently underway. The aims are undoubtedly to discover if and how bactericides are useful in suppressing HLB; this is likely in order to continue to qualify for permission through the EPA to use bactericides and to determine ‘best practices’ for their use in the fight against citrus greening.
Growers can download the citrus bactericide survey here. Those growers desiring a paper copy of the citrus bactericide survey can find one in the June or July 2016 issues of Citrus Industry magazine; the surveys can be returned upon completion via mail to 5700 SW 34th Street, Suite 1307A, Gainesville, FL 32608, or by fax to 888-957-2226. Surveys must be received by the 5th of August, and the results will be presented at the Citrus Expo seminar program on August 17–18 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers.
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.