UF Research: Mesh Covers Protect Citrus Trees From Psyllids That Transmit Greening Disease
About four years ago, Fernando Alferez started to test if citrus trees grown inside a protective mesh cover could be kept safe from the potential deadly Asian citrus psyllid.
The psyllid, a bug the size of a pin, injects citrus tree leaves with a bacterium that can cause Huanglongbing, commonly known as citrus greening disease.
New research from Alferez shows that citrus trees grown under individual protective covers (IPCs) show no signs of the greening disease. Specifically, scientists found that psyllids cannot penetrate the bags (IPCs) under which the trees are growing because the diameter of their openings is smaller than the insects.
“Our research has confirmed that the IPCs are effective in keeping the trees free from HLB at least until they start producing fruit,” said Alferez, an assistant professor of horticultural sciences at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. “This is important because until now, once the trees were planted, they were exposed to the psyllid, which carries the disease. So, they became infected with greening in a matter of months.”
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