Psyllid population grows more than 150% in June across Brazil’s citrus belt

The Phytosanitary Alert, a Fundecitrus tool that monitors the presence of the insect that transmits greening and assists citrus growers in the regional management of the disease, detected in the entire citrus belt in June this year, a growth greater than 150% of the population of psyllids as compared to June 2019. 

The number is also the highest-ever recorded for the period by the historical series, measured since 2014.

The rise in the population of the insect tends to be concentrated in the second semester, mainly in late winter and early spring, the period of the beginning of the rains, after a dry period, which stimulate the citrus sprouts, attracting the psyllid.

In 2020, the high population growth centers around the largest volume of rain recorded in June, an action that anticipated the sprouts and, consequently, promoted an increase in the population out of season. At the moment, the attention to avoid increases in the incidence of greening should already be reinforced by producers through management recommendations.

“To reduce the insect population, all producers must follow the updates of the Phytosanitary Alert and carry out regional management, which involves monitoring on the property and in the region, monitoring and controlling the insect population and eliminating sources of contamination inside and outside the property,” explained Fundecitrus agronomist Ivaldo Sala.

The original Portuguese version of this report is from Fundecitrus.