CVC decreases drastically and reaches its lowest incidence in the citrus belt

The annual survey carried out by Fundecitrus shows that, in 2021, Citrus Variegated Chlorosis (CVC), which was once considered the most severe disease in citrus farming, continues to decline, following the trend of recent years. In the early 2000s, the incidence reached 46,8%. Now, it is present in just 0,46% of orange trees in the citrus belt, a number 100 times smaller and corresponding to approximately 890 thousand plants – in 2020, the rate was 1,04%, in 2019, 1,71%.

The general manager of Fundecitrus, Juliano Ayres, emphasizes the importance of all the knowledge acquired in recent years and the rigorous management measures adopted by citrus growers to control the disease. “This is the lowest rate of CVC in the last 20 years, which should be considered a success story and an example to be followed in the management of greening [a disease that, in 2021, reached the highest level ever recorded in the citrus belt since 2004 , with 22,37% of orange trees sick]", he warns.

Also known as “yellowing”, CVC causes premature ripening and a marked reduction in the size of the fruits, which can lose up to 75% of their weight, leading to a decrease in productivity.

Fundecitrus researcher Silvio Lopes explains that the low CVC rate is the result of a series of factors. “The use of healthy seedlings, good control of CVC leafhoppers, which is done with the same insecticides that control the greening insect vector, the psyllid, and the extensive elimination of diseased plants are the main responsible for reducing the disease” , complete.

Losses due to disease should be very low

The survey shows that the Altinópolis region has the highest incidence of the disease (4,28%) and the Triângulo Mineiro, the lowest (0,12%). In Duartina, Matão, Brotas, Avaré and Itapetininga, CVC was not detected – in these places, the disease may be present, but at levels too low to be detected by the sample survey.

The incidence of the disease varies according to the age of the plants: the older the age, the higher the rates. In orchards over 10 years old, the incidence was 0,88%, while in orchards between 6 and 10 years old, 0,17%, and up to 2 years old, 0,02%. In orchards between 3 and 5 years old, the disease was not found – the lower rates in younger orchards occur mainly due to the use of healthy seedlings and the long time required for the first symptoms to appear after infection.  

In most plants with CVC, symptoms were at an early stage. “As losses due to the disease are associated with the severity of symptoms, the fact that the majority of diseased plants show initial symptoms indicates that losses attributed to CVC should be, on average, very low in the citrus park in the 2021-22 harvest” , highlights Lopes.

Check out the full report here.