The use of individual protective covers (IPCs) to safeguard young citrus trees from HLB has become a common practice in Florida groves in recent years. Fernando Alferez, an assistant professor of citrus horticulture with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has led the research effort to study IPCs and their effectiveness in preventing HLB. He joined the February episode of the All In For Citrus podcast to discuss his research findings.
“We have been studying IPCs for five years now. We planted our first trial in 2018 on Valencia and covered the trees for 30 months,” Alferez said. “During that time, the trees tested negative for HLB, and we found no intrusion of the psyllid.”
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