Huanglongbing (HLB) causes citrus root systems to decline, which in turn contributes to deficiencies of essential nutrients followed by decline of the canopy and yield. This study was conducted on a 6-year-old ‘Valencia’ [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb.] on Swingle rootstock (Citrus paradisi Macf. × Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.) trees in a commercial grove near Immokalee, FL, to evaluate the effects of foliar applications of selected essential nutrients (N, K, Mn, Zn, B, and Mg) on growth and productivity of citrus trees infected with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the pathogen putatively associated with HLB in Florida. Mn, Zn, B, and Mg were applied in all experiments to drip at 0×, 0.5×, 1.0×, and 2.0×/spray of what has been traditionally recommended in Florida to correct deficiencies. Treatments were applied foliarly 3×/year with the sprays occurring during each growth flush for 5 years (2010–14). Thus, the 0×, 0.5×, 1.0×, and 2.0×/spray treatments resulted in 0×, 1.5×, 3.0×, and 6.0×/year to correct deficiencies. MnS04 and ZnSO4 were applied with or without KNO3 and in separate experiments were compared with Mn3(PO3)2 and Zn3(PO3)2, respectively. Disease incidence, foliar nutrient content, canopy volume, and yield were measured. At the beginning of the experiment, foliar N, P, Ca, Mg, Cu, and B were in the sufficient range and K, Mn, Zn, and Fe were slightly low. Disease incidence was very high with 83% and 98% of trees testing positive for CLas in 2010 and 2014, respectively. Nutrients that are not mobile or have limited mobility in plants, namely Mn, Zn, and B, demonstrated an increase in foliar concentration immediately after spray and in the annual averages. Foliar K increased from the deficient to the sufficient level by KNO3 sprays, but the mobile nutrients N and Mg did not show an increase in foliar levels, indicating that intraplant transport occurs in the presence of HLB. Foliar KNO3 application had a stronger effect on growth than yield. Yield was most strongly affected by application of MnSO4 where yield of the 3×/year treatment was 45% higher than that of the unsprayed control, but yield declined by 25% for the 6×/year treatment. Yield within 95% of the maximum occurred with foliar Mn concentrations of 70–100 µg·g−1 dry weight when Mn was applied as MnSO4, which is at the high end of the traditionally recommended 25–100 µg·g−1 dry weight range. The phosphite form of Mn [Mn3(PO3)2] depressed yield by an average of 25% across all application concentrations. Zn, B, and Mg did not significantly impact yield. Canopy volume demonstrated concave relationships across application concentrations for MnSO4 and ZnSO4 without KNO3 and Mn3(PO3)2, Zn3(PO3)2, Boron, and MgSO4 with KNO3, with the minimum occurring near the 3×/year application concentration. These data indicate a complex interaction in the amount of nutrients applied and their corresponding effects on foliar concentration, growth, and yield for HLB-affected trees. The results of this study at least partially explain the current confusion among scientists and the commercial industry in how to manage nutrition of HLB-affected citrus trees. The traditionally recommended approaches to correcting nutrient deficiencies need to be reconsidered for citrus with HLB.

Florida citrus trees must be irrigated to reach maximum production due to low soil water-holding capacity. In a highly urbanizing state with limited water resources, improved understanding of soil water uptake dynamics is needed to optimize irrigation volume and timing. The objectives of this study were: (i) estimate mature citrus daily evapotranspiration (ET c ) from changes in soil water content (u), (ii) calculate citrus crop coefficients (K c ) from ET c and reference evapotranspiration (ET o ), (iii) determine the relationship of soil water stress coefficient (K s ) to u, and (iv) evaluate how ET c was related to root length density. In a 25-mo field study using mature 'Hamlin' orange [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] trees, ET c averaged 1137 mm yr 21, and estimated K c ranged between 0.7 and 1.1. Day of year explained more than 88% of the variation in K c when u was near field capacity. The value of K s decreased steadily from 1.0 at field capacity (u 5 0.072 cm 3 cm 23 ) to approximately 0.5 at 50% available soil water depletion (u 5 0.045 cm 3 cm 23 ). Roots were concentrated in the top 15 cm of soil under the tree canopy (0.71 to 1.16 cm roots cm 23 soil), where maximum soil water uptake was about 1.3 mm 3 mm root 21 d 21 at field capacity, decreasing quadratically as u decreased. Estimating daily plant water uptake and resulting soil water depletion based on root length density distribution would provide a reasonable basis for a citrus soil water balance model.

Fine sand soils important to Florida agriculture have volumetric soil water content values (θv) of <0.10 cm3 cm−3 after drainage due to gravity has ceased. Small changes in θv in the range of 0.02 to 0.08 cm3 cm−3 can greatly affect plant available water and, therefore, good calibration of soil water content sensors is necessary. The EnviroSCAN (Sentek Pty. Ltd., South Australia) is a multiple sensor capacitance probe capable of continuous measurement of soil water content by volume (θv). Many fine sand soils in Florida have plant available θv values of ≤0.08 cm3 cm−3 The manufacturer's calibration curve has very few data points <0.10 cm3 cm−3 θv and no data in the 0.02 to 0.04 cm3 cm−3 θv range. Because of the lack of data in this range, a calibration curve from 0.02 to 0.08 cm3 cm−3 θv was developed for Candler fine sand (hyperthermic, uncoated Typic Quartzipsamments), Apopka fine sand (loamy, siliceous, hyperthermic Grossarenic Paleudults), and Immokalee fine sand (sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Arenic Alaquods) in two locations in Florida. Since calibration curves for the three soils did not differ significantly, data from the three soils were combined. An exponential calibration curve was developed This equation provides substantially different estimates of water content in the 0.02 to 0.08 range than values obtained from the manufacturer's calibration. This improved calibration extends the useful range of the EnviroSCAN to include an important group of soils with very low water holding capacity.