Citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt shared management tips for citrus leafminer and citrus canker for Florida citrus growers.

There’s a connection between citrus leafminer (CLM) and citrus canker, according to multi-county citrus Extension agent, Chris Oswalt. Oswalt shared management tips for citrus leafminer and citrus canker in the May/June Central Florida citrus Extension newsletter, according to a Citrus Industry article. She the highlights below.

Management Tips for Citrus Leafminer and Canker

“I don’t think we can overstate the effect of leafminer damage on citrus foliage and the increased development of citrus canker lesions on damaged leaves,” Oswalt said. Citrus leafminer (CLM) causes damage that “allows for significant increases in canker inoculum,” Oswalt maintained. Basically, the damage caused by leafminers creates more openings for citrus canker to enter the leaf. The wet summer season only exacerbates the problem.

Oswalt shared that a USDA study showed citrus trees not treated for CLM had five times more canker lesions than those that were treated. Controlling CLM is one avenue for controlling citrus canker.

Management tips for Citrus Leafminer and Canker include:

  • “Pesticide applications need to be timed to significantly reduce CLM populations during the summer and early fall…”
  • “The primary window of opportunity to control CLM is 13 days after bud break of a new flush to 31 days after this bud break…”
  • Controlling CLM is “much easier to do for the spring flush but becomes increasingly difficult as seasonal flushes continue through the growing season (summer and fall).”

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