On-going research indicates that gibberellic acid may be a useful tool in the fight against citrus greening.
A recent UF/IFAS-hosted webinar, “Use of Gibberellic Acid Treatments to Improve Health and Yield of HLB Diseased Trees,” shared the recent research related to using the compound to mitigate the effects of citrus greening on citrus trees. According to a Growing Produce article, Director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, Michael Rogers, and UF/IFAS Associate Professor of Horticulture, Tripti Vashisth, took part in the webinar touting the benefits of the compound. See the details below.
Using Gibberellic Acid
According to the article, gibberellic acids are “defined as naturally occurring plant hormones that are used as plant growth regulators to stimulate both cell division and elongation that affects leaves and stems.” Research has shown that the citrus greening bacterium causes oxidative stress in citrus trees, leading to the citrus greening symptoms that cause poor tree production and ultimately the death of the tree.
Gibberellic acids have been shown to relieve oxidative stress and boost yields in citrus trees in recent studies into the use of the hormones.
The UF/IFAS webinar shared information on how the compound “improves tree health, the economic benefit of gibberellic acid sprays, how growers can begin to use it now in their groves, and what should be avoided,” according to the article.
The webinar is available here for viewing.
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