Right Leaf Sampling-The first and most critical step to good nutrition program

Right Leaf Sampling-The first and most critical step to good nutrition program

Report Date: 02/15/2023
Project: 20-011   Year: 2022
Category: Horticultural & Management
Author: Tripti Vashisth
Sponsor: Citrus Research and Development Foundation

1. Please state project objectives and what work was done this quarter to address them:  To determine how many leaf nutrient sampling per year are required to effectively capture the tree nutritional statusand adjust fertilizer accordingly.2. To establish the relationship of leaf nutrient concentration with yield, fruit drop, and canopy density3. To determine how the leaf nutrient (all 14 nutrient) levels change in the tree throughout the year.4. To evaluate how the leaf age affects the leaf nutrient status. In this quarter we continued collecting tagged leaf flush and analyse them for nutrient content.  In this quarter we also harvested the hamlin site in Fort Meade however, we were unable to harvest Arcadia Hamlin site as the grove was seriously damaged by hurricane Ian. The preliminary analysis shows that the mild trees are responding to the fertilizer treatments that based on summer flush nutrient analysis. Mild trees getting additional fertilizer are not lossing as much canopy density as the control trees. It is interesting that the response of fertilizer is not same in mild and severe trees. This observation indicates towards the variabilty that we see in groves with nutritional treatments.  Another interesting observation is that we are seeing significant differences between nutritional profile of fruiting and non-fruiting branches therefore, raising the question about value in using fruting branch leaf in plance of non fruiting branch when adjusting the fertilizer. We continue to collect data to answer this additional question. 2. Please state what work is anticipated for next quarter: 1. Data analysis and interpretation2. Collecting samples for nutrient analysis3. Applying fertilizer treatments based on leaf nutrient analysis results4. Harvesting Valencia at Fort Meade and Arcadia   3. Please state budget status (underspend or overspend, and why): The budget is being spent as per the plan where major funds have been used for nutrient anlaysis. 


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