See three of the five areas—termed the 5Rs of sustainable citrus production—that are needed to keep citrus trees productive in the HLB era.
The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo saw UF/IFAS associate professor Davie Kadyampakeni led a citrus seminar on 5Rs of sustainable citrus production, according to a Citrus Industry article. According to the article, integration of these five strategies “is needed to keep HLB-infected trees productive.” See Kadyampakeni’s recommendations for the right water management, right nutrient rate, and right fertilizer placement below.
1-3 in the 5Rs of Sustainable Citrus Production
- Right Water Management
-“The right water management includes use of soil moisture sensors and daily irrigation.
-“Frequent irrigation is key to optimal tree performance, and daily irrigation results in improved nutrient uptake.”
-“However, in the case of ½ inch or greater rainfall, irrigation should be avoided for two days.”
- Right Nutrient Rate
-“Nitrogen and phosphorus rates are currently under revision, but growers can still apply nitrogen at 180 to 200 pounds per acre along with the current UF/IFAS recommendations for phosphorus.”
-“Some other nutrients can be applied at elevated levels for bearing trees impacted by HLB. This includes 3 pounds per acre boron, 15 pounds per acre zinc and manganese, and 10 pounds per acre iron.”
- Right Fertilizer Placement
-“For ground application of granular of slow-release fertilizer…place the fertilizer in the irrigated zone or where the microjet wetting pattern is.”
-“These fertilizers should have polymer-coated micros for better efficacy on HLB trees.”
-“To improve plant uptake,” use “foliar fertilizer for micronutrients and selected macronutrients like potassium and calcium for soils with high pH (>7).”
-“Combined application of ground and foliar fertilizer was also recommended.”
See our next blog detailing the fourth and fifth strategies in the 5Rs of sustainable citrus production.
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