In the long battle against HLB, there have been no tactics as successful at safeguarding citrus trees as protective screen. Citrus under protective screen (CUPS) structures can exclude the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and HLB from entire blocks, while individual protective covers (IPCs) can keep individual trees free of HLB for the critical first few years after planting.
In early October, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted a CUPS and IPC seminar and field day at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred.
Arnold Schumann, UF/IFAS professor of soil, water and ecosystems science, pioneered research into CUPS and gave an overview of what has been learned since he installed his first structure at CREC 12 years ago. Today, there are about 2,000 acres of commercial CUPS in the state of Florida…