The annual survey carried out by Fundecitrus on the incidence of greening showed that 22,37% of trees in the citrus belt of São Paulo and Triângulo/Southwest Mineiro are sick, which represents an increase of 7,2% compared to 2020.
Despite being the highest rate since the disease was identified in Brazil in 2004, and the fourth consecutive year of growth, the president of Fundecitrus, Lourival Carmo Monaco, highlights that the best way to understand the presence and severity of the disease is to analyze it regionally.
“The data is a real warning for the sector: greening grew considerably in regions that maintained low incidences [Avaré and Itapetininga], reached alarming rates in other locations [Limeira, Brotas and Porto Ferreira] and is extremely worrying in young orchards, which which threatens the renewal and expansion of plantations and even the maintenance of citrus farming in São Paulo and Minas Gerais”, he states.
The highest rates are in these regions. They had the highest rates of fruit drop due to greening in 2020 and high percentages of contaminated young plants. Planting in these regions is not recommended unless the property does not have neighbors with citrus or is within a regional greening management group.
In these regions the risk is high. Internal and external greening management must be reinforced. Choose the area carefully for new plantings: without citrus orchards nearby or with farms within a regional greening management group.
Regions with average incidence and increasing trend of the disease.
The internal control of the disease and the psyllid and the external management actions have been carried out rigorously by most producers and are responsible for the reduction in the incidence of greening in Matão, the only region with a decline.
Regions with lower incidences of greening. Hot and drier climates are less favorable to the development of the psyllid and the spread of the disease.
Municipalities with fewer citrus areas and less incidence of greening. Colder weather is less favorable to the psyllid.
For the first time, the work made a second projection for greening, disregarding the planting of new seedlings and including the estimate of diseased plants eliminated throughout 2020, components that “dilute” the incidence, which would reach 26,52%.
“The damage to production and, consequently, the losses to citrus growers are already considerable, especially in regions with higher incidences, which account for high plant loss and fruit drop, reduced productivity and difficulty in controlling young orchards. However, the situation could worsen even further if there is no awareness of the seriousness of the situation and commitment to measures capable of changing it”, points out Monaco. “Greening does not allow for average rigor. It is urgent to stop the upward trend of the disease and reverse the situation. Only the union of the sector and everyone's adherence to strict control is capable of reducing the incidence and losses”, he emphasizes.
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