Integrated management to eradicate Greening

Greening is a pest that worries citrus growers a lot, and for good reason! The disease has the potential to destroy entire orchards, as one contaminated fruit cannot be treated, and becomes harmful to the rest of the orchard.

The disease is transmitted by the psyllid Diaphorina citri, which despite its long name is an insect measuring 3 to 4 mm. It sucks the sap from a contaminated fruit and becomes a transmitter of greening, carrying the bacteria that causes it to the next fruit.

But how to combat this pest? Discover, below, 6 integrated management tips to eradicate greening:

1 - Acquire healthy seedlings

This is the first step to controlling the pest. It is recommended that the seedlings come from nurseries that follow phytosanitary legislation.

2 - Monitor the orchard

Ideally, check all citrus plants at least 6 times during the year. Between the months of February and September, the symptoms are more visible, which can make it easier to detect the pest.

Frequent symptoms:

3 - Eradicate contaminated plants

A plant infected with Greening has the potential to contaminate all others in the orchard and, therefore, must be eliminated.

Before eradication, it is ideal to spray insecticide on the disease outbreaks, preventing the migration of contaminated insects to another tree.

4 - Eliminate nearby ladies of the night

Also known as false myrtle, these plants are very common in urban areas. However, they are hosts for the insect that transmits Greening, serving for food and reproduction. 

5- Monitor psyllid Diaphorina citri

Even though it is not the cause of the disease, the insect is its vector and therefore must be monitored in the right place and at the right time.

6- Invest in traps

Pheromone traps in the field are an important alternative in pest population control. With them, it is possible to attract pests from the orchard to a certain previously chosen point and combat them before they cause damage.

It is recommended that traps be inserted on the border with neighboring areas, controlling pests that may be in these lands and have not yet been monitored.

In addition to the measures that can be taken by producers, society as a whole must become aware of the destructive power of Greening and engage in the fight against the disease. The unviability of citrus farming affects several professionals (there are 200 thousand direct and indirect jobs) and sectors of society, from citrus growers to rural workers.