Author Topic: HLB Help Looks Very Promising  (Read 1825 times)

Millet

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HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« on: August 07, 2021, 10:06:11 PM »
The peptide by Elemental Enzymes, called Vismax peptide, is a foliar spray that causes the tree to attack the bacterial infection (HLB) as well as induces the tree to actually grow out of the disease. Vismax peptide only needs to be applied once every year in the spring as the trees flush, and it lasts through harvest. It has been proven positive in groves across Florida over four years of replicated grower trials in heavy HLB infected fields and has worked in generating more grower yield the same year over year. 

Elemental Enzymes has recently been funded by CRDF for an expansion of its label study for other common citrus diseases. The Vismax peptide product should become registered with EPA in May 2022. It will be available through their partner, Nutrien, the largest ag retailer in the U.S., once it’s approved.

poncirsguy

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2021, 10:38:20 PM »
It sounds really good for the industry but I doubt any home owners will be able to pay the price for it.

Galatians522

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2021, 11:14:40 PM »
Thanks for posting this! I really hope this turns out to be everything they say. It also makes me think that diseases with similar action (such as Pierce's Disease in grapes) might have similar solutions.

Vespasian

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2021, 02:34:55 AM »
It sounds really good for the industry but I doubt any home owners will be able to pay the price for it.
It wont be that expensive because most growers are already dealing with really high input costs compared to what Tropicana is willing to pay for them which is probably what it costs them for oranges coming from Brazil. If they won't make any money on growing oranges, they wont grow any oranges.
i see abandoned groves right next to groves still in good shape. The industries woes are not just from HLB.

poncirsguy

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2021, 08:14:42 AM »
Is HLB a citrus tree over population problem like covid19 is to over populated humans.

Millet

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2021, 10:18:16 AM »
Covid 19 is not a human overpopulation problem,  it is a Chinese Lab problem.

pagnr

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2021, 09:06:37 PM »
Is HLB a citrus tree over population problem like covid19 is to over populated humans.
Covid 19 is not a human overpopulation problem,  it is a Chinese Lab problem.

There may be some parallels, Citrus is grown in monocultures, large areas of many states in several countries devoted to it.
Citrus labour workers move around between growing areas, including to other countries. USA is obvious,
Australia relied on International backpackers and now Pacific Islander or SE Asia workers as Covid has cut short term travel.
Citrus fruits are moved around worldwide to access markets at a higher price at an availability window.
This is despite the exact same fruit being available in the import country as the export country. i.e. Australia and USA Navel Oranges interchange.
Sometimes these seem heavily post harvest treated to be inedible.
Vast areas are devoted to the same few cultivars, lessening resistance to diseases.
Wild Citrus relatives or even Arboretum collections that may offer resistance genes are threatened.
Many unusual cultivars are held by hobbyists and backyard growers. These might be targeted for destruction to protect commercial growers.

Both HLB and Covid seem to have taken not only the opportunity of a vast population to infect, but the mechanisms of world trade and human movement in our societies to spread worldwide. Covid is spread by people, HLB spread by the insect vector, and also infected plants shipped between growing areas or States for horticulture nursery trade.

It seems that both Covid viruses and HLB were previously present in the environment as local problems before they were able to spread so widely.
Australia is only 200km or so from New Guinea, yet we very rarely get incursions of Malaria or Dengue fever into Australia, probably because our contact with PNG is far more limited than with other countries.( Also the mosquito vector is a factor). Similarly we don't get some horticulture insect pests etc moving across. Papaya fruit fly was a recent exception.
We didn't see the same escape of far more deadly diseases from Africa recently, maybe because it was less economically consequential for us to shut down travel to Africa.

The Overpopulation idea seems inaccurate to me, Both Covid and HLB have piggy backed aspects of our connected societies to spread widely.
The Chinese Lab idea, true or not, still relies on the same travel and trade systems to spread worldwide so rapidly.
Many people predicted the possibility of both human epidemics and Agriculture epidemics previously, based on our current practises.





poncirsguy

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2021, 11:24:55 PM »
pagnr  Yup  you got it right.

Galatians522

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2021, 12:10:00 PM »
I would like someone to define the term "monoculture" for me. I had assumed that it meant an area where ONLY one species grows. If that is the definition, most citrus groves in Florida are not monocultures. I have seen a few groves that would come close to meeting that description, but in most the row middles and ditches host a wide range of herbaceous annuals and perennials. A list of wild edibles common in groves would include chenopodium, citron melon, bird pepper, pig weed, bentony, spanish needles, oxalis, tropical chick weed, indian cucumber, dayflower, cat tail, purslane etc. This would be an impressive list of edibles if planted intentionally in a food forest and many of these are difficult to find in a truly wild environment but are easy to find in a grove. This diversity is what encourages so much wild life in the grove in comparison to unmanaged native habitat. Actually, come to think of it, the saw grass portion of the everglades is the closest thing to a monoculture that I know of--with millions of acres being dominated almost exclusively by one species. This leaves me scratching my head in confusion.

John B

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2021, 03:26:59 AM »
Could we get back on track here? If successful, about how long until the backyard gardener is able to benefit? I ask because since HLB is now present in San Diego, it's a little concerning.

I've noticed an uptick in psyllids in different gardens including my own. It seems like it is just a matter or short time before the rampant spread. I'm noticing a bunch of "free citrus" and "let's exchange citrus plants" on places like NextDoor app. Surely precautions are not being met.

Millet

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2021, 10:39:08 AM »
As it looks now registration is thought to be approximately May next year.  After the product receives its registration sales could began .   For home grown trees I really don't know how quickly this will occur.

Galatians522

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2021, 09:16:13 PM »
Could we get back on track here? If successful, about how long until the backyard gardener is able to benefit? I ask because since HLB is now present in San Diego, it's a little concerning.

I've noticed an uptick in psyllids in different gardens including my own. It seems like it is just a matter or short time before the rampant spread. I'm noticing a bunch of "free citrus" and "let's exchange citrus plants" on places like NextDoor app. Surely precautions are not being met.

You are right. One thing that adds to the danger is that trees can be infected for a year or two before showing symptoms. If you have the psylids and symptomatic trees it is likely that the disease has spread further than prople realize.

John B

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Re: HLB Help Looks Very Promising
« Reply #12 on: August 29, 2021, 11:41:09 PM »
Could we get back on track here? If successful, about how long until the backyard gardener is able to benefit? I ask because since HLB is now present in San Diego, it's a little concerning.

I've noticed an uptick in psyllids in different gardens including my own. It seems like it is just a matter or short time before the rampant spread. I'm noticing a bunch of "free citrus" and "let's exchange citrus plants" on places like NextDoor app. Surely precautions are not being met.

You are right. One thing that adds to the danger is that trees can be infected for a year or two before showing symptoms. If you have the psylids and symptomatic trees it is likely that the disease has spread further than prople realize.

Fortunately everything is still growing well but who knows. Let's hope this is a success!