The orange harvest 2019/20 fell by 17.63%, according to the Fundecitrus. This is the largest drop rate ever recorded since 2015, when it began the Crop Estimates Research. The main reason for the drop is due mainly to the increased incidence of greening in the orchards. To show how to perform the correct management of this disease, the manager of insecticides products Ihara, Marcos Vilhena, separated four tips to fight greening. Check out:
1. regional management of the psyllid population
Considered the worst disease of citrus in the world, the greening is transmitted by an insect called the psyllid. In June, the Fundecitrus the Phytosanitary Alert recorded a 150% increase in the population of this insect throughout citrus belt, compared to the same period of 2019. Small and difficult to control, the vector of the disease requires that the fight is done jointly in the region. So it is necessary to monitor the property and the region to thereby eliminate contamination sources within and outside farming.
2. Beware renewed with the arrival of warmer seasons
The hot and humid climate provides the plant has new shoots, which are the preferred targets of psyllids. With higher temperature, the insect cycle also accelerates. This means that in this period of time also have a larger number of vectors when compared to the months of autumn / winter. Therefore, the period between October and February is usually the most critical for producers who need to exercise caution and preventive actions in the fields.
3. Make the planting of healthy seedlings
In addition to eliminating diseased plants, control of greening also requires the planting of healthy seedlings. And to control the vector of the disease, the use of an insecticide capable of acting on eggs, nymphs and adults of psyllid is required. The elimination of the pest, still in its early stages, it is essential to decrease the population, as well as the spread of the disease in the field.
4. Learn how to make the correct application of pesticides
“For an effective application of the insecticide, it is necessary to closely monitor the fields to search for any insect sign or disease. So it is also necessary to make inspection of regular orange stands to apply the product so finding nymphs or adults the psyllid in the field, “explains Vilhena.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.