The citrus canker is present in 17.26% of the citrus trees belt Sao Paulo, Triangle / west Miner. This incidence corresponds to 34 million plants, a figure 15% higher than in 2019, of 15.01%. The data is lifting Fundecitrus diseases.
Increasing trees with citrus canker was expected after the state of São Paulo adopted in 2017, the plant health status of Area Under Risk Mitigation (SMR), which allows the maintenance of symptomatic plants in orchards.
Nevertheless, the researcher Fundecitrus Behlau Franklin points out that, over the years, the survey was able to modernize the management of the disease, making it more assertive and sustainable. “Today, it is possible to neutralize or minimize losses by citrus canker using less copper and water in the applications, which must be carried out during the period set to greater efficiency in fruit protection. Also, currently, it is known that the use of complementary measures, such as windbreak, has greater benefit in specific conditions, which depend on Orchard features and destination of production, “he explains.
The regions with the highest incidence of the disease are Votuporanga (75.50% of diseased plants), Sao Jose do Rio Preto (46.63%), Trough (34.64%) and Matao (26.83%).
The citrus canker occurs in all strata of old trees, but the most affected is between the ages of 3 and 5 years, with 21.10% of the plants with the presence of disease. In other age groups, the effects are similar, and 12.49% at the age of 0 and 2 years, 19.07% between 6 and 10 years and 16.36% for the trees older than 10 years. Regarding the size of properties, smaller, with up to 10 thousand trees, are most affected (30.32%).
Small INCIDandINSTANCE CVC
The 2020 survey also showed that the incidence of trees with CVC continues to fall year after year throughout the citrus park. The mean incidence increased from 1.71% in 2019 to 1.04% in 2020, which corresponds to approximately 2 million plants. Trees affected by the disease are small, hard fruit and ripen early, reducing productivity.
The highest incidence was found in Votuporanga region (3.43%), followed by Matao (2.76%), Limerick (2.50%), Porto Ferreira (1.85%), São José do Rio Preto (1 , 31%), Altinopolis (1.15%) and Trough (0.83%). In the Triangle Mineiro and Duartina, Sprout, Avare and Itapetininga, CVC was not detected.
Most affected plants early symptoms of the disease. “Given that the losses are associated with the occurrence of more severe symptoms, the losses attributed to the CVC should be, on average, very low in citrus park,” concludes the general manager of Fundecitrus, Juliano Ayres.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.