Pest management is an ongoing effort in Florida citrus. Taking advantage of pest life cycles, whether they are tied to the season or plant phenology, can make management efforts have greater impacts on pest populations.
For many citrus growers, managing the impacts of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), the vector of huanglongbing (HLB), is part of the annual management plan. As we enter the cooler winter months, it is time to implement dormant season sprays for ACP. With little to no flush available for offspring production, dormant season sprays take advantage of a largely uniform population of psyllids at this time of year. By targeting the adult population, growers can decrease the mating population before spring flush, reducing the capacity of the population to increase rapidly.
As a stand-alone method, Jawwad Qureshi and Phil Stansly (2007) showed that …..
Lern more about the Time for ACP Dormant Season Sprays on the Citrus Industry website.
Article written by Lauren Diepenbrock, an assistant professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.