Citros: o que fazer se tiver uma planta doente no pomar?

If you have an orchard and find yourself facing a diseased plant, you often wonder what to do. When we talk about citrus and contamination by citrus greening, the citrus grower's despair is even greater. Well, diseased plants are permanent sources of contamination within the orchard. Coexistence with diseased plants older than 8 years is permitted as long as rigorous control of the psyllid is carried out. However, in a few years, the production and quality of the fruit from these plants will be significantly reduced. Infected adult plants lose more than half of their productive capacity within four years of the appearance of symptoms. Infected young plants may never express their productive potential. After removal, the producer must completely eliminate the root system or apply herbicides to the stump to prevent regrowth that may remain contaminated. Journalist Rodrigo Brandão, from Fundecitrus, discusses with researcher Renato Bassanezi some of the recommendations and observations that have already been made regarding the maintenance of diseased plants in the orchard.