Citrus blight

[1] Trees infected with citrus blight experience a general decline in health; this includes wilting, die-back, loss of foliage, and the production of smaller/discolored fruits.

Though the spreading mechanism of the blight is not known, some sources report trees grown on the same rootstock develop concurrent infections.

[2] Another effective means of identifying citrus blight is by testing a plant's ability to take in water.

The optimal time to test if a plant is able to take on water is in the spring months, namely March, April, and May.

[1] Rates of citrus blight infection can be reduced by growing citrus-bearing trees on rootstocks that are tolerant to the disease.

[2] YARA, an American fertilizer company, notes that orchards treated with Calcium nitrate lose fewer trees to citrus blight, citing a 1995 study.

[4] A field study published by the University of Florida noted that citrus blight causes $60 million in economic damages annually.

Uninfected citrus fruits (left) compared with infected fruits (right). Such size differences are the result of lower zinc levels in infected fruits, the result of the infected tree transferring additional zinc to its bark to fight the infection