Interactions between plant nutrition and symptom expression in mandarin trees infected with the disease huanglongbing

A survey of Siem mandarin trees (Citrus reticulata Blanco) grown in different soil types and given different fertiliser regimes showed that applications of a foliar fertiliser reduced the symptom expression of trees infected with huanglongbing by ~40%. In contrast, infected trees growing in a sandy soil, or in a clay–loam, did not differ in their level of symptom expression, despite differences in the fertility of the two soils. These data suggest that infection restricts either nutrient uptake or transport and, therefore, that foliar applied minerals may prolong tree life and reduce yield losses.