Phil Stansly
Citrus greening will be a hot topic during the 2017 Citrus Expo seminar program. Phil Stansly, a professor of entomology at the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, will be speaking about controlling psyllids in HLB-infected groves.
Stansly says the main goal of his presentation is to remind growers how useful and economically beneficial it is to control psyllids, even on mature trees infected with HLB. He will be reporting on research by his program that clearly demonstrates yield increases and economic benefits of psyllid control. The aim is to help growers achieve an efficient spray program that takes advantage of psyllid behavior and natural predation to maintain a healthy profit margin in the face of HLB.
Psyllid control on young trees is even more important: “They are the future of the industry,” Stansly says. Controlling psyllids in young trees can forestall the onset of greening to maximize early growth and production. However, insecticides may not be enough to keep plants HLB-free for their first three years in the field, especially if the surrounding psyllid population is high. Stansly’s research and grower experience have shown that planting into a strip of UV (metalized) reflective plastic mulch can add an extra measure of protection that also pays economic dividends.
Stansly’s presentation will begin at 2:35 p.m. on Wednesday, August 16.
The 2017 Citrus Expo will be help on August 16–17 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, Florida. All pre-registered growers will be eligible for a chance to win a John Deere gun safe courtesy of Everglades Equipment Group. Pre-registration ends Monday, August 14 at 11:59 p.m., so don’t wait; register today.
As growers pre-register, they are encouraged to participate in the 2017 bactericide survey. Take the survey here. Conducted by AgNet Media in cooperation with the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, the 2017 survey will build on knowledge gathered from the 2016 survey. Results of the survey will be presented during the Citrus Expo seminar program. You can view the full Citrus Expo program here.
For more information or to register, visit citrusexpo.net.
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