The average severity of HLB increased from 22.7% to 27% when considering orchards of all ages. In commercial production orchards, the level rises to 31%.
The data also reveal a worsening condition among infected trees. The proportion of plants with more than half of their canopy affected increased from 22.5% to 28.5%, while trees showing symptoms on less than 50% of their foliage decreased from 25.1% to 19.6%.
This evolution points to a slower rate of infection among new plants, while the proportion of trees that have been affected by the disease for longer periods continues to increase.
Low tree removal rates worsen the situation
Renato Bassanezi, researcher at Fundecitrus, attributes the increase in more severe cases mainly to the low rates of removal of diseased trees in older orchards.
Keeping these trees in production areas means maintaining sources of inoculum that can contribute to further infections, while also directly affecting productivity.
As the disease progresses, the number of fruits per tree decreases and the risk of premature fruit drop before harvest increases, reducing the commercial potential of the crop.
Major differences between production areas
HLB incidence varies significantly across the citrus belt of São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
In Limeira, one of the areas with the highest historical presence of the disease, average severity reached 54.7%.
RELATED NEWS: Brazil raises orange crop forecast by 3.1%
The situation is very different in the Triângulo Mineiro, where average severity remains at just 0.04%.
The northern and northwestern areas of the citrus belt, together with the Matão region, recorded more moderate increases. Higher temperatures in these areas limit both the development of the insect vector and the bacteria responsible for the disease.
Citrus canker and citrus leprosis also increase
Fundecitrus’ monitoring also evaluates other diseases affecting Brazilian citrus production.
Citrus canker is present in 36.26% of orange orchards, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.9%.
Meanwhile, citrus leprosis has reached an average incidence of 6.61%, equivalent to more than 14 million affected trees.
In contrast, Citrus Variegated Chlorosis (CVC) remains at low levels, with visible symptoms detected in only 0.14% of the evaluated plants.
The situation confirms that, although the expansion rate of HLB is showing signs of slowing, the continued presence of severely affected trees remains a major production and plant health challenge for Brazil’s citrus industry.
