Researches
Esteban Blanco, Dennis Zavala, Juan Delgado, Bryan Palma, Andrés G. Castillo A., Bolivar Torres, Thiago Antunes, Julio Mejía, Arturo Fortín and German Alfaro
Date
July, 2020
HLB and other stress factors: understanding the challenge of citrus growing in the tropics.
Citriculture is a never-ending challenge for those who have and embrace the mission of assuring high-quality citrus for a very dynamic and demanding market. Climate change, global warming, new pests and diseases, and market restrictions are changing the game and growers must keep an open mind and a resilient attitude to remain playing.
This scenario is especially complicated when you are a citrus grower in the tropics. The lack of seasonality, the restricted or delayed access to technologies, the high rainfall, temperatures and radiation and the global competitiveness of the tropical fruit market are some of the pieces of
a puzzle that the stakeholders of the citrus business in the tropics have to deal with. Also, the extended rainy season reduces the window for xenobiotic applications for crop protection and plant nutrition, so products must have fast and efficient uptake mechanisms.
Our sand is ̈in the field ̈ and is in there where abiotic and biotic factors add up to reduce productivity. In the end, the more stress factors you can reduce, the higher the yields you will harvest. In the case of citrus, HLB has become the main biotic limitation but the successful management of the disease implies overcoming also the related biotic and abiotic threats and their interactions.
Continuous flushing due to constantly active metabolism sets a very difficult scenario for ACP control but allows trees to constantly replace lost foliage. Droughts and floods harm the roots while tropical storms and hurricanes affect the canopy and increase fruit drop. Hydro-periodic blooms coincide with heavy rainfalls that limit PFD control and long rainy seasons provide year-round conditions for Greasy spot infection and dissemination. Having the tools (technologies, products, information, and knowledge) and understanding how to use them will allow citrus growers to succeed in this scenario.
