Explore the great importance of nutrient efficiency in citrus from a presentation by a UF/IFAS researcher.
Nutrient efficiency in citrus is of the utmost importance according to the presentation by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher Davie Kadyampakeni at a workshop at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Kadyampakeni presented on the importance of “the impacts of macronutrients and micronutrients on root health, yield and juice quality,” according to a Citrus Industry article. Explore what the research says about the effects of nutrient efficiency below.
Nutrient Efficiency in Citrus
Kadyampakeni’s presentation addressed the importance of nutrient efficiency in citrus for both macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), while micronutrients include boron (B), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), and chlorine (Cl). Many growers focus on macronutrients, but micronutrients have been shown to play an important role in healthy plants.
According to the article, the “takeaways” from Kadyampakeni’s presentation were:
- “Current data suggests the need to update secondary macronutrient and micronutrient guidelines for HLB-affected trees for improved yield, improved canopy size and juice quality.”
- ‘Proper macronutrients and micronutrients resulted in reduced root dieback and increased root growth because root density was increased, and trees were more efficient in nutrient uptake.”
- “Nutrient leaching was significantly reduced with bi-weekly fertigation; nitrates were retained in the top 6 inches of the soil.”
- “Combined use of crop protection products and nutrition strategies appear to remediate HLB-affected trees.”
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