Arnold Schumann, University of Florida professor of soil and water sciences, specializes in crop nutrition and commented on the relationship between calcium and HLB-infected trees. Calcium deficiencies have been correlated to the presence of Liberibacter in citrus trees. Calcium nitrate moves upward through the roots in the xylem, and as HLB causes root damage, it creates calcium deficiency. One of the primary symptoms of calcium deficiency is root dieback, and so the two issues perpetuate one another and cause massive root loss.
