HLB - Citrus Greening Disease
HLB, also known as citrus greening disease, is fatal for citrus trees. Once a tree becomes infected, there is no cure and it will die. Spread by an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid, the disease, first found in Southern California in 2012, destroys production leading to bitter, inedible, misshapen fruit.
While research is on-going, there is increasing evidence that balanced nutrition can mitigate against HLB. For example, there is increasing evidence that citrus trees prefer the nitrate form of nitrogen and can experience toxicity to ammonium forms of N.
These increasing ammonium concentrations in the soil can also reduce uptake of potassium, calcium and magnesium and trees can test positive for, and exhibit, HLB Greening symptoms.
In contrast, while trees with adequate levels of potassium, calcium and magnesium, don't exhibit the symptoms of HLB even if they test positive for the disease.
Your Yara agronomist or fertiliser supplier will be able to provide more information on this effect as the fast-track research continues.
Related articles
Increasing Citrus Fruit Size
Crop load determines fruit yield and size and a too high fruit number can result in small fruit. The use of careful thinning and growth regulators can reduce the number of fruit to an optimum amount per tree.
Managing Citrus Peel Thickness
Peel thickness requirements vary depending on the citrus type and market needs. Thicker peels provide higher levels of oil extraction and offer a greater resistance against pests and better shelf life. In the fresh fruit market a thicker peel is regarded...
Increasing Citrus Fruit Weight
Trials have shown that balanced nutrition with N, P, K, and the micronutrients, boron, iron, manganese and zinc, will help to improve citrus yield through increasing fruit weight.
It is important to make sure that these nutrients are not limited during...
Improving Citrus Juice Content
Juice content is particularly important in processed oranges but also in fresh fruit. A crop nutrition program - backed by good irrigation and water supply to help stimulate nutrient uptake during fruit production and improve the juice content is...
