Practical Management of HLB Disease in a Florida Commercial Citrus Grove

Huanglongbing (HLB) or greening disease of citrus was first discovered at Southern Gardens Citrus' groves in October, 2005. Southern Gardens' Southern Grove soon became known as the epicenter of the HLB epidemic in commercial groves in Florida. After nearly 7 years, traditional management practices of inspection, elimination of infected trees, vector management, and replanting with disease-free trees have been relatively successful at one large grove, and unsuccessful at another. Field research on the effects of nutritional programs, interaction of HLB with herbicide and other factors, and the development of genetically enhanced citrus trees continues. The importance of controlling the vector of HLB disease, the Asian Citrus Psyllid, is recognized, whether disease management relies on traditional methods, or on the maintenance of infected trees using enhanced nutritional programs.