See the UF/IFAS Tip of the Week for pointers on brown rot management in your Florida citrus grove this summer.

With Florida’s rainy summer season well underway, it’s a time when root rot thrives; this is true of brown rot as well. The UF/IFAS Tip of the Week in an accompanying Citrus Industry article shares tips for brown rot management in your Florida citrus grove as the rainy season allows the Phytophthora microorganisms that cause brown rot to thrive. Explore management tips below.

Tips for Brown Rot Management

For some citrus varieties, like grapefruit and early sweet orange varieties such as Hamlin, brown rot can cause total yield loss. Tips for brown rot management include:

  • Brown rot can be caused by both Phytophthora palmivora and  nicotianae, and “knowing which species is building up in your groves is important when considering your management aggressiveness.”
  • Copper applications for citrus canker cover grapefruit management for brown rot as well.
  • Hamlins need additional management because copper applications for citrus canker stop in June; “Phosphites need to be applied in advance of infection but provide the most durable brown rot protection. One July application of phosphite normally gives good control through an average rainy season and helps keep root rot in check.”
  • “If rains continue into late September/October, another brown rot treatment may be needed.”
  • Copper needs to be reapplied every 21 days to reduce brown rot.
  • Copper “can protect healthy fruit once rot has already occurred on some fruit in the canopy. The Revus label was recently expanded to include a foliar spray for brown rot and offers some control up to 30 days, but there is limited experience with these new modes of action in Florida citrus.”

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.