Keywords
tree injections
citriculture
cost estimates
greening disease
Categories
How to Cite
Funding data
-
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Grant numbers 2019-70016-29096;FL-SWF-005724
Abstract
This publication provides per-tree and per-acre costs of adopting oxytetracycline (OTC) trunk injections for large-scale orange production in southwest Florida. The values represent the costs observed by early adopters (i.e., the 2023–24 season). This information will be helpful to citrus growers, Extension agents, and other citrus industry stakeholders interested in understanding the costs of trunk injection and OTC applications in tree crop production. The values shared are estimates; costs will vary depending on the operation’s application methods, products used, tree density, and other grove characteristics. Written by Shourish Chakravarty, Tara Wade, Ute Albrecht, Ozgur Batuman, and Thomas H. Spreen, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Food and Resource Economics, June 2025.
Accessibility Summary:
In accordance with Title II regulations this content meets all points of exemption as Archived web content and/or Preexisting conventional electronic documents.
References
Albrecht, U. 2023. “Research Update on Oxytetracycline Injection for HLB Management.” Citrus Industry Magazine. https://citrusindustry.net/2023/10/16/research-update-on-oxytetracycline-injection-for-hlb-management/
Albrecht, U., L. Archer, and P. Roberts. 2023. “Antibiotics in Crop Production.” HS1366. EDIS. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1366
Archer, L., and U. Albrecht. 2023. “Evaluation of Trunk Injection Techniques for Systemic Delivery of Huanglongbing Therapies in Citrus.” HortScience 58(7): 768–778. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI17172-23
Archer, L., U. Albrecht, and J. Crane. 2021. “Trunk Injection to Deliver Crop Protection Materials: An Overview of Basic Principles and Practical Considerations: HS1426, 11/2021.” EDIS 2021(6). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-hs1426-2021
Archer, L., J. H. Crane, and U. Albrecht. 2022. “Trunk Injection as a Tool to Deliver Plant Protection Materials — An Overview of Basic Principles and Practical Considerations.” Horticulturae 8(6): 552. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8060552
Archer, L., S. Kunwar, F. Alferez, O. Batuman, and U. Albrecht. 2023. “Trunk Injection of Oxytetracycline for Huanglongbing Management in Mature Grapefruit and Sweet Orange Trees.” Phytopathology 113(6): 1010–1021. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-09-22-0330-R
Batuman, O., K. Britt-Ugartemendia, S. Kunwar, S. Yilmaz, L. Fessler, A. Redondo, K. Chumachenko, S. Chakravarty, and T. Wade. 2024. “The Use and Impact of Antibiotics in Plant Agriculture: A Review.” Phytopathology. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-10-23-0357-IA
Berger, C., and F. Laurent. 2019. “Trunk Injection of Plant Protection Products to Protect Trees from Pests and Diseases.” Crop Protection 124: 104831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2019.05.025
Cho, A. H., A. W. Hodges, and C. A. Chase. 2012. “Partial Budget Analysis of Summer Fallows for Organic Nutrient and Weed Management in Florida.” HortTechnology 22(2): 258–262. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH.22.2.258
Cruz, J., C. D. Court, and J. P. Ferreira. 2023. “2020–2021 Economic Contributions of the Florida Citrus Industry: FE1155, 8/2024.” EDIS 2024(4). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-fe1155-2024
Giles, F. 2024. “Florida citrus survey reflects industry optimism.” Citrus Industry Magazine. https://www.mirabelsmagazinecentral.com/digitaledition/index.html?id=88182a03-08fe-4761-9fe2-a28722216be4
Halbert, S. E. 1998. “Entomology Section.” Tri-ology Technical Report 37(4): 5–9.
Hu, J., J. Jiang, and N. Wang. 2018. “Control of Citrus Huanglongbing via Trunk Injection of Plant Defense Activators and Antibiotics.” Phytopathology 108(2): 186–195. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-17-0175-R
Li, J., Z. Pang, S. Duan, D. Lee, V. G. Kolbasov, and N. Wang. 2019. “The in Planta Effective Concentration of Oxytetracycline Against ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ for Suppression of Citrus Huanglongbing.” Phytopathology 109(12): 2046–2054. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-06-19-0198-R
Singerman, A. 2023. “How much yield is needed to offset the cost of injecting trees with oxytetracycline?” Citrus Industry Magazine. https://citrusindustry.net/2023/10/25/how-much-yield-is-needed-to-offset-the-cost-of-injecting-trees-with-oxytetracycline/
Tigner, R. 2018. “Partial Budgeting: A Tool to Analyze Farm Business Changes.” Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Ag Decision Maker. https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/pdf/c1-50.pdf
USDA NASS. 2023. Florida Citrus Statistics 2021–2022. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Florida/Publications/Citrus/Citrus_Statistics/2021-22/FCS2022.pdf
USDA NASS. 2024. Florida Citrus Statistics 2022–2023. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Florida/Publications/Citrus/Citrus_Statistics/2022-23/FCS2023.pdf
Wise, J. C., A. H. VanWoerkom, S. G. Aćimović, G. W. Sundin, B. M. Cregg, and C. Vandervoort. 2014. “Trunk Injection: A Discriminating Delivering System for Horticulture Crop IPM.” Entomol. Ornithol. Herpetol. 3(2): 126.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 UF/IFAS