What is explosive citrus leprosy?

Leprosis on lemon tree

Image - IDTools.org

Citrus trees are trees that, in addition to being very decorative, produce edible fruits if they are given a minimum of care. But unfortunately they are also very vulnerable to pests and diseases, one of the most worrisome being explosive citrus leprosy.

What is it and how is it treated? Is there a way to prevent our plants from being affected by this problem? Let's see it.

What is explosive citrus leprosy?

It is a viral disease transmitted by the leprosy mite (Brevipalpus) endemic to the Americas., especially from the south. At the moment it has not arrived in Spain, but you have to be vigilant and buy only healthy specimens. Even so, we can never be sure that the specimen that we take home is fine, as there have been cases that a plantation has started to get sick after having planted an infested specimen that was asymptomatic.

The way the virus spreads is through mites or through infested seedlings or fruits.

How can we detect it?

To know if a citrus fruit is sick with leprosy, we have to observe these symptoms:

  • Defoliation
  • Fruit drop
  • Circular spots on leaves and fruits
  • No growth
Leprosis in citrus

Image - IDTools.org

How is it treated?

Explosive citrus leprosy is treated only with chemicals. Any of these can be used:

  • Dicofol (18,5%) 1,5-2%
  • Dicofol (21%) + Tetradifon (7,5%) at 2 ‰
  • 0,25% mineral oils are used as adherents

Can it be prevented?

As we have mentioned, it is difficult to really prevent it, since the tree can remain asymptomatic for a long time. That's why the only way to be sure is to choose specimens that we know for sure are healthy, and for that there is nothing like taking a sample of the sap of the plant and taking it to examine the laboratory.

I hope it has been useful to you. 🙂


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