Cold Acclimation and Protection for Florida Citrus

Abstract

Florida citrus growers can use citrus leaf freezing temperature information and cold protection strategies to effectively manage water resources during freeze events. Citrus trees grown in Florida receives low rainfall during winter. Irrigation scheduling is based on evapotranspiration or soil moisture measurements. It is important to understand water requirements of citrus trees and their response to cold temperatures because they may change during cold acclimation independent of soil water content. The information provided in this paper helps to better understand the process of citrus acclimation to colder temperatures and strategies for citrus cold protection. In this article, we discuss 1) a method for measuring cold acclimation in citrus, 2) how to use the information related to leaf freezing point temperature, 3) irrigation strategies for cold protection and 4) what to do to recover from freeze damage.