common diseases

Common Diseases to Look Out for to Protect the Citrus Crop

Dan Citrus, Huanglongbing (HLB)/Citrus Greening, This Land of Ours

Some common diseases to look out for to protect your citrus crop. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

common diseases
Canker lesions on OLL-8 fruit

Growing homegrown citrus fruits is great if you have the right climate for it, but make sure you’re ready for these citrus diseases.

Citrus canker is a highly contagious bacterial disease that leads to yellow halo-like lesions on the fruits, leaves, and twigs on the tree. If left to spread, citrus canker causes leaf loss, blemished fruits, and even the death of the tree.

Greasy spot is a fungal disease. You’ll know that your trees have it if you find yellow-brown blister spots on the leaves. The spots are typically on the underside of the leaves and, over time, these spots develop into oily blisters.

Advertisement

Root rot is a fungal infection caused by  soil-borne fungus. This citrus tree disease causes dark brown patches on the tree’s bark. Worst case scenario, it causes the bark to dry and crack, eventually causing the branch to die.

Sooty mold is a fungus that blackens the leaves of your citrus trees; it looks like soot from a fire. It typically appears on plants with an aphid infestation because the mold forms after the insects leave honeydew behind on the leaves.

Listen to Cathy Isom’s This Land of Ours program here.

Common Diseases to Look Out for to Protect the Citrus Crop