Grower observation – By Lee Jones, general manager of GFC
We’ve been battling the psyllid for two-and-a-half years now and HLB for who knows how long. The 6,000 acres that I manage include groves in all three growing regions (Martin, Hendry, Hardee and Manatee Counties). This disease has multiplied rapidly in parts of our groves. I’ve noticed some interesting things about this disease, and I believe my most recent findings will help us keep this disease at manageable levels.
When we first started finding HLB at our grove in Indiantown, I noticed it was more heavily concentrated around the ditch banks. Researchers told us the psyllid was attracted to the color yellow. When our ditches were dug at Indiantown, shell rock was layered on top of the beds and this high pH soil induces interveinal chlorosis, causing yellow areas between the veins, thereby being more attractive to psyllids.
Soon thereafter, I started noticing HLB around the borders of blocks with good soil and no interveinal chlorosis. My thoughts then were that the hurricanes really pounded these outside trees and weakened them to a more susceptible state.
Recently, however, I was riding in a neighbor’s grove. He had one block that was half grapefruit and half Valencia. The grapefruit was pushed out after the hurricanes. The Valencia north-south border that was protected from any hurricane winds was infected heavily with HLB. This I consider a variety change border.
It seems that a uniformly flushing block will have the highest disease pressure on the border. At the GFC groves, we plan on hedging the outside row heavily in some areas to induce continual flushes. It will be a smorgasbord so to speak for the psyllid. Then we will use extra control measures on the borders; preferably systemic insecticides. We also plan on planting a psyllid preferred plant in some areas as a trial. These trap crops could equate to a wall of defense against the psyllid. It could also mean potentially less insecticides on our fruit.
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.†Our industry is in dire need of God’s wisdom. The old has passed away. To be profitable we have no choice but to explore new techniques and technologies. I believe a trap crop around our borders is one of these techniques.