Research done by UF researchers suggests a split application of nutrients helps citrus trees to combat citrus greening.
Researchers with UF have completed a study that suggests that utilizing a split application of nutrients can help citrus trees infected with citrus greening, also called HLB. The team “researched the timing of the application of various nutrients, including nitrogen, calcium and magnesium” from 2017 to 2019, according to a Citrus Industry article, and found that managing the timing of fertilization helps to manage citrus greening. The results were published in Soil Science Society of America Journal. See the details below.
Details on the Split Application of Nutrients
Alisheikh Atta, a post-doctoral associate with the Department of Soil and Water Science at UF, said in the article, “Leaf nutrient concentrations, tree growth and fruit yield and quality are interrelated in many aspects. We found that splitting the application of nitrogen potentially lowered the citrus trees’ requirements for this nutrient. Moreover, split applications enhanced the uptake of the other leaf nutrients. The results indicated that leaf magnesium concentrations were deficient during most of the seasons and suggested the need for sustainable fertilization to meet the optimum nutrient range.”
The research was done at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. According to the article, the research found that split applications of nutrients caused “the trees grew more vigorously, with more leaves and improved fruit yields…” and “that more fruit could be harvested when trees were treated with secondary macronutrients like calcium and magnesium.”
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