FALL LEAF TISSUE SAMPLES IMPORTANT FOR MAINTAINING CITRUS GROWTH, FRUIT
QUALITY AND YIELD

University of California (UC) researchers and private industry
consultants have invested much effort in correlating optimal citrus
tree growth, fruit quality and yield to concentrations of necessary
plant nutrients in citrus (especially orange) leaf tissue. The grower
can remove much of the guesswork of fertilization by adhering to UC
recommendations of critical levels of nutrients in the tissues of
appropriately sampled leaves. Optimal values for elements important in
plant nutrition are presented on a dry-weight basis in Table 1. Adding
them in appropriate rates by broadcasting to the soil, fertigating
through the irrigation system or spraying them foliarly may correct
concentrations of nutrients in the deficient or low range. Compared to
the cost of fertilizers, and the loss of fruit yield and quality that
can occur as a result of nutrient deficiencies or excesses, leaf tissue
analysis is a bargain. At a minimum, the grower should monitor the
nitrogen status of the grove through tissue sampling on an annual
basis.

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