By Peter Chaires
I am a big fan of Robert Fulghum’s famous book titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” This little gem started out with lightweight calls to play fair and wash your hands before you eat. But soon it turned up the heat and waxed somewhat philosophical with a couple heavy hitters. One of my favorites lines from the book is: “When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.” More on this later.
GETTING STARTED
Offices of Florida trade associations, production managers, caretaking companies, packers, processors and just about any organization closely affiliated with citrus production have been hosting or fielding discussions about the application of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) via trunk injection. Thanks to excellent work by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), aligned with strong support from Florida Citrus Mutual, TJ BioTech and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, growers now have this HLB treatment available. And a second OTC-HCl product (Rectify) received regulatory approval in late January.
Many growers are in training and are moving forward with what they believe to be the sharpest tool in the shed in the fight against HLB. We have all heard it a hundred times over: “This is my best option. I’m taking it.”
Most people expect to see some results from injection within a year, and substantive improvements to tree health, reduced drop and improved fruit quality by the second year. Adopters will certainly gain incremental knowledge along the way. New methodologies and best practices may be discovered. Techniques and efficiencies will certainly be honed along the way.
We may also learn how not to do things. Sometimes it can be tremendously valuable to know what hole not to step into. We may also learn whether some or all commercial varieties have the same response to treatment. Quality may return to some varieties quicker than others. Some may not respond at all. Some may respond at a slower pace.
ANSWERING QUESTIONS
UF/IFAS held several excellent workshops on trunk injection in January and early February. Growers asked many questions. It was obvious that most attending were trying to determine three things:
1. Can I afford it?
2. Will it work?
3. Can I find a way to do it cheaper?
We are already hearing of growers developing their own delivery systems, including equipment and methodologies. The best approach will become evident over time. We also know from comments at these seminars that not all growers are going to take advantage of this tool. Some will take a wait-and-see approach. However, the prevailing opinion of those in attendance (or at least the most vocal ones) is that this has the potential to keep them in the game and supply better fruit to the market while waiting for a longer-term solution.
Nutrition and other caretaking considerations will also require study and observation. Some growers anticipate that these new treatments will make it possible to revert to a pre-HLB nutrition scheme. This is unlikely in the near term, and it will take time to understand what adjustments can be made, when and with which rootstocks and scions.
We also know that trees first must be well cared for in order to derive the most benefit from injection. Abandoned trees or trees receiving little to no care will not see a marked turnaround.
This will be a little like drinking from a horticultural firehose. Until such time that information is collected, reviewed and published, please document your observations and findings. If you are comfortable doing so, share your experiences with me (pchaires@nvdmc.org). We will seek the most appropriate means of compiling and sharing the casual observations and gleanings from the field. It may be time to hold hands and stick together.
Peter Chaires is executive director of the New Varieties Development and Management Corp.