INDIANAPOLIS Feb. 22, 2010 Dow AgroSciences recently donated $10,000 to the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) to help fund research for the control of citrus greening. The donation also will help fund studies approved by the Florida Citrus Research Production Advisory Council and Florida Citrus Industry Research Coordinating Council.
We greatly appreciate the contribution that Dow AgroSciences has made to the citrus industry, says Tom Jerkins, president of the CRDF and vice president of Blue Goose Growers out of Fort Pierce, Fla. If we can get other companies to step up like Dow AgroSciences did, then it will greatly help citrus growers.
The donation was made by Dow AgroSciences at the Florida Citrus Show in Fort Pierce. It is the first private donation made to the CRDF, which is funded predominately by producers. Jerkins says the goal of the foundation is to further research for the control of citrus greening.
Citrus greening is the major issue in Florida right now, Jerkins says. It is an existential threat to the industry. Weve got a three- to five-year window to find a solution. If the industry survives, then hopefully our affiliated industries will prosper as well.
DELEGATE WG insecticide and LORSBAN ADVANCED insecticide both offer effective control of Asian citrus psyllids (ACP), which act as vectors for citrus greening. DELEGATE, which also is effective against citrus leafminer, recently received Special Local Need (SLN) registration in Florida that enables growers to use low-volume applications to control ACP. Additionally, INTREPID 2F insecticide recently received SLN registration in Florida for the control of citrus leafminer, which spreads citrus canker.
Dow AgroSciences is fully committed to helping the citrus industry receive the tools necessary to succeed, says Dr. Jim Dripps, global spinetoram biology team leader for Dow AgroSciences. We are working hard to give the citrus producers of Florida every pest management advantage possible.
Growers should not make more than two consecutive applications of the same class of insecticides. If more applications are required, rotate to another class of insecticides.
Source: Dow AgroSciences
