Citrus Greening Alert

Symptoms:

Affected Plant Parts

Citrus green symptoms vary depending on the citrus species and the environmental conditions. The symptoms may initially appear on a single shoot. The most common symptoms to appear in early stages are blotchy, mottled leaves. Leaf mottling, asymmetric chlorosis, and yellowing of veins and midribs will likely show up as the disease progresses. Infected trees will produce fewer, smaller, bitter-tasting fruits that oftentimes remain green in color. In later stages of the disease, symptoms on leaves might resemble nutritional deficiencies and may be misdiagnosed. Another symptom seen with citrus greening is vine corking. Though, vine corking could also be due to a citrus tristeza virus infection.

Asian Psyllid

The Asian citrus psyllid is a tiny, white-brown, mottled insect that is about the size of an aphid. The adult psyllid feeds with its head down, almost touching the leaf, and the rest of its body is raised from the surface at an almost 45-degree angle with its tail in the air. No other citrus pests position their bodies like this while feeding. Adults typically live 1-2 months. Females lay tiny yellow-orange, almond-shaped eggs in the folds of developing citrus leaves. Each female can lay several hundred eggs during her lifespan. Psyllid produce white waxy tubules around their rear end. Stages of the psyllid can live anywhere on the tree, but the immature stages and eggs will be found on young leaves. With time, psyllid presence on trees give rise to the formation of sooty mold.

Who Am I?

Citrus greening is a bacterial disease, exclusive to the citrus genus, and can kill trees. The bacteria is vectored and transmitted by Asian citrus psyllid and African citrus psyllid. Nothing can be done once a tree is infected; there is no cure for citrus greening.

Control Measures

Citrus trees are magnificent; they produce large amounts of tasty fruits while staying green all year round (evergreen). This makes them popular in areas outside farming such as private gardens and backyards.

*Names marked in red are considered to be highly poisonous to beneficial insects.

*Names marked in green are considered to be organic and IPM (integrated pest management) compatible.

Caution and careful notice should be taken when using any plant protection products (insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides). It is the grower’s sole responsibility to keep track of the legal uses and permissions with respect to the laws in their country and destination markets. Always read the instructions written on labels, and in a case of contradiction, work in accordance to the product label. Keep in mind that information written on the label usually applies to local markets. Pest control products intended for organic farming are generally considered to be less effective in comparison to conventional products. When dealing with organic, biologic, and to some extent a small number of conventional chemical products, a complete eradication of a pest or disease will often require several iterations of a specific treatment or combination of treatments.

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