Grant Information
| Knowledge Area | Subject of Investigation | Field of Science | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems | 999 - Citrus, general/other | 1130 - Entomology and acarology | 35% |
| 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems | 999 - Citrus, general/other | 1160 - Pathology | 35% |
| 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems | 999 - Citrus, general/other | 1010 - Nutrition and metabolism | 10% |
| 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems | 999 - Citrus, general/other | 1020 - Physiology | 10% |
| 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems | 999 - Citrus, general/other | 2090 - Statistics, econometrics, and biometrics | 10% |
Our project will support the needs of both commercial and residential citrus growers by comparing new tools to support young tree establishment that arecurrently available and developing management recommendations for the incoporation of each tool into production and residential settings. We will compare (1) Individual Protective Covers (IPCs), which are mesh exclusion bags to prevent Asian citrus psyllid access to young trees and thereby prevent or delay citrus greening, (2) reflective polyurethane ground cover ("donuts" for residential), which are thought to provide a visual deterrent to psyllids, and (3) red-dyed kaolin, which also provides a visual deterrent and somewhat of a mechanical barrier to certain pests to a control, which is monthly insecticide applications in commercial, and frequent horticultural oil and soapapplications for residential growers. The over-arching goal of this research is to develop the applied knowledge base needed to provide recommendations for both commercial and residential clientele to support cultivation of healthy young trees. We anticipate the our findings will impact both our statewide clientele and growers throughout all citrus production regions.
The goals of this project are to
Commercial: This project builds on preliminary data and am ongoing research planting that has enabled our team to compare installation and the first 1.5 years of production using the tools previously described. Funding from this program will enable our team to complete 1-2 harvests, enabling yield data and a longer term view of the impacts that incorporation of these tools has on tree growth, health, and fruit production. We will continue regular scouting, plot maintenance, and management of this site for the duration of this project, with the goal of includin yield data in our multi-year study. Our economist will perform economic analyses on the costs and benefits of each tool. Additionally, we will perform a survey of growers currently using these tools to capture additional challenges and/or benefits of each that we may not capture in our trial.Residential: We will work with 10-15 Master Gardener Volunteers throughout the citrus growing region in Florida to compare homeowner versions of the tools in our field comparison. Master Gardeners will be trained to scout, collect data, and submit samples to support this research. We will provide interactive workshops throughout this project to enable our volunteers to actively participate and provide their feedback as users of each product.
Target Audience
We have two target audiences for this work: citrus growers and residents who want to grow citrus at home
Changes / Problems
Hurrican Ian damaged some of our residential plantings, but I think we have mostly recovered from this event.
Training & Professional Development
From the academic perspective, a graduate student and a postdoctoral scientist have expanded their training/research as a result of this project. More broadly, we have been working with 13 master gardener groups around the state to train then in management application, proper fertilization, and scouting techniques. This training has become a train-the trainer set up whereby our master gardeners lead community workshops to teach residents how to care for plants.
Dissemination Streams
Yes. There have been several presentations at scientific meetings, at commody extension meetings, and with master gardener groups around the state.
Next Reporting Steps
We will continue our large field comparisons with plans to harvest in the spring of 2024. The residential study will continue throughout this year, which will provide for 2 years of data, which can be used to update recommendations.
Target Audience
We have two target audiences for this work: citrus growers and residents who want to grow citrus at home
Changes / Problems
Hurrican Ian damaged some of our residential plantings, but I think we have mostly recovered from this event.
Training & Professional Development
From the academic perspective, a graduate student and a postdoctoral scientist have expanded their training/research as a result of this project. More broadly, we have been working with 13 master gardener groups around the state to train then in management application, proper fertilization, and scouting techniques. This training has become a train-the trainer set up whereby our master gardeners lead community workshops to teach residents how to care for plants.
Dissemination Streams
Yes. There have been several presentations at scientific meetings, at commody extension meetings, and with master gardener groups around the state.
Next Reporting Steps
We will continue our large field comparisons with plans to harvest in the spring of 2024. The residential study will continue throughout this year, which will provide for 2 years of data, which can be used to update recommendations. <br><br>
<br>What was accomplished under these goals? In this project year, we have begun to see distinct differences in the treatments in our commercial fields supporting our extension scientists to make recommendations to incorporate individual protective covers (IPCs) versus the other treatments for resets. In 2024, we will have harvest data to fully develop our recommendations. The residential side of the project has been ongoing for 1 year and we have seen buy in from extension agents and master gardeners not formally involved in this project. <br><br><b>Publications</b><br>
Target Audience
This project has two primary audiences: (1) commercial citrus growers investing in new plantings to help support healthy trees despite our endemic HLB statusand (2) individuals who wish to grow healthy citrus trees at home
Changes / Problems
We only encountered one major challenge, which was the availability of trees for Goal 2. So we used the time leading up to obtaining trees to develop all of the training documents and videos. In retrospect, this challenge turned out to be beneficial as our team had more time to ensure we made high quality materials at the start of the residential portion of the project.
Training & Professional Development
Goal 2: Faculty, staff, and students participated in developing the instructional videos, which provided a unique opportunity for them to learn how we create trainings for broad sharing. These same individuals assisted in our Agent/Master Gardener training in June with hands-on opportunities to train and interact with attendees.
Dissemination Streams
Nothing Reported
Next Reporting Steps
Goal 1: We will continue scouting and managing the plantings. We plan to harvest what fruit are available and have them assessed for quality parameters this spring. Based on visual observations from previous years, we are counting the bloom on trees to see if any of the treatments have an influence on bloom and subsequent fruit set (the variety of orange we are using do not require insect pollination so they can set fruit under exclusion mesh). Pest management is evolving as 2 new pests have entered the equation since the beginning of this experiment, so we continue to try to keep the impacts of these pests low while documenting incidence by treatment. We are currently writing 2 manuscripts from previous funding and this funding on this project and will be developing additional extension documents. Goal 2: We will continue to work with our county extension and Master Gardener collaborators to collect data with quarterly check-ins. We are planning another IST in summer 2023 to share what we've learned and provide an open forum for feedback in person. We plan to present these data at regional extension programming aimed at those interested in residential citrus plantings. <br><br>
<br>What was accomplished under these goals? Goal 1: We continue to scout pest populations (pathogens and arthropods) and determine optimal management options/ timing to be incorporated with each primary tool under evaluation. Unexpectedly, young trees with red dyed kaolin have the highest Clas titers, which is the pathogen associated with HLB. We suspect this is due to the kaolin not adhering to the soft, young flush leaving it vulnerable and highly visible to psyllids. This spring we anticipate our first full bloom and plan to harvest the few fruit available to harvest (trees will fruit better in years 4+). We have brought growers to the planting site and discussed the challenges and benefits as we learn them from this planting. It continues to provide valuable knowledge to help us support the needs of our growers. Goal 2: We have replicate plantings in 14 counties in Florida comparing exclusion bagging, reflective ground cover, red dyed kaolin, and insecticides registered for home use. We have built a partnership with country extension and their Master Gardener programs to assist in data collection. In June 2022, we held a training for our county collaborators and hold quarterly check-ins with them to share what we are learning and open up conversation for their input as end-users. This goal has exceeded all expectations in terms of developing solid partnerships and the county agents and their Master Gardeners have been excellent collaborators. We regularly recieve questions from them whenever something appears odd which is helping our team learn the unique challenges of growing citrus in home landscapes. <br><br><b>Publications</b><br>