Citrus Blight Survey – 2024

Citrus blight (CB) is a tree decline disorder rather than a blight. Trees with CB show general decline similar to drought stress. The first symptoms are a lack of growth and trees are unthrifty with foliage that has a dull green cast. Symptoms progress to a thinning of the tree canopy and trees bear small fruit. Trees adjacent to the first symptomatic tree often develop CB, but symptomatic trees also randomly occur in orchards.  Off season flush and bloom patterns are common. CB occurs only on bearing trees, not younger than 4 years. The occurrence and severity of CB increases in warmer climates. The disorder is associated with xylem plugging, but the cause is still unclear despite having been described over 100 years ago. We aim, with this short survey, to better understand the extent of Citrus Blight and whether a fresh look at an unresolved problem is required.