Tree Injection Systems LLC - Macro and Micro tree infusion - Laurel Wilt disease Blog

Reply of the Miami Herald article on Laurel Wilt Of February 27, 2017

2/25/2017

This is the article:www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article134592774.html

This is my reply:
I’m a commercial avocado grower in Homestead, Florida. Thanks you for bringing the plight of the industry to the public’s attention. I will like to point out certain inaccuracies in your piece.
First Xyleborus glabratus or the Red Bay Ambrosia Beetle is not a problem in Homestead’s avocado groves. I believe only a few have been found in the last 12 months. There are at least two other beetles locally that have now become vectors of the Laurel wilt fungus. These other beetles have a different mode of action. These two are more attracted to stressed avocado trees. Unless these materials are tested and work on a broad spectrum of borers this announcement can give people unrealistic expectation that the solution is near. The fact that it only repels 90% of one species can give people a wrong sense of security. It takes only one beetle to inoculated an kill the tree.

Right now I would say that most trees in commercial groves are dying from root transmission of the pathogen rather that beetle inoculation. Trees that were infected by beetles allowed to stay dead on the ground for too long or just cut and roots left in place. The pathogen stays underground for a long time moving from tree to tree. An improperly attended infected tree can set in motion a chain of events that can take dozens of trees.

I personally find the problem very manageable. in my 20 acres with 2700 trees I lost 1 tree in February 2016 and 4 from a lightning strike in September 2016, with subsequent inoculation from beetles. (lightning strike assures beetle attraction and boring activity) these events if handled properly end right there. The is a protocol from UF in handling these events I adhere to it, strictly, and enhance it with a nutritional program design to keep my trees in optimal condition. So you see, there is more a grower can do than just wait for the tree to die and then remove it.
These beetles are not going away, we just have to learn how to deal with the problem effectively. So far beetles are winning, but not in my grove.

Regards

Carlos de la Torre

The Speed of Laurel Wilt root transmission

11/26/2016

The tree was removed November 30The photo album bellow started when on November 19, 2016 I noticed an avocado tree in a grove that has been having active wilt for the last two years. This tree looked a little droopy but nothing wilted. I visited it the next day and realized that these were the very early stages of Laurel Wilt. I started taking pictures, almost daily, to see the length of time from first sign to total tree death. It is very clear that by the 5th days there is huge evidence of wilted leaves. By the 28th of November 8 days later, every leaf in that branch top to bottom is wilted. I will keep looking at it to see what happens to the other branch. The tree was removed in its entirety November 30, I will continue to follow the area for LW activity.
This tree had been injected with Propiconazole, not sure when, but seem to not even slow the wilting down.
December 5, the new wilt confirmed and another stop started. Fast moving root transmission at this time of the year. By December 13, 2016 2 more trees were removed. By December 27, another tree is wilting making it 4 trees in a period of 40 days in a very small area.

Only one way to deal with Laurel Wilt disease

11/22/2016

My most recent Laurel Wilt event, Handled
Click to enlarge

As we approach the end of 2016, It is a good time to reflect on what these last 3 years of Laurel Wilt disease meant for the avocado growers. As we drive around or even look in Google earth we see a significant reduction in avocado canopy. We see dead wilted trees everywhere. I’m not sure how many trees we have lost but I would say close to 4-5 percent
One positive thing is that we know a lot more, may be the research should have been more practical but a lot has been accomplished. We know that the infamous Red Bay Ambrosia beetle that we feared so much does not appears to like avocados that much. Good news because the RBA does not discriminate, it is an equal opportunity tree borer. Will drill in sick and healthy trees. In the last year, only a handful of them have been trapped in the avocado growing area.

The not so good news is that there are 2 other beetles that are vectors of the disease and these are attracted to sick, stressed trees. Trees that release ethanol. Trees release ethanol under certain types of stress, the most significant in my opinion is lighting strikes, also root rot, flood damage and sick trees. I lost 6 trees in early September due to a lightning strike attracting 1000’s of beetles. Fortunately, the tree and its roots were removed and today 11 weeks later no sign of root transmission has taken place.
How do I manage today: I don’t want my trees stressed, I have a well-planned nutritional program as well as a soil enhancement program using biological inoculations. The trees have never been happier. In the last 24 months, I have only lost 1 tree to a non-lighting situation. This is only successful if you are vigilant on top of the grove and wilting trees and their roots are remove as quickly as possible.
A grove can be very healthy but a lightning strike hits, the beetles come, the trees begging to wilt and are allow to stay on the grove. Twelve weeks later all the surrounding trees are wilting and once the pathogen goes under ground in the root system moving from tree to tree it become basically unmanageable. What could have been one or two trees lost, 12 months later is 100 or more and counting.
Come on People! We need to learn how to live with it.

The Avocado Zombie Apocalypse approaching?

6/20/2016

Click to enlarge

Since its last visit in February, which resulted in the loss of only tree, brother Wilt has not visited my grove. The trees look happy and healthy, but they do express their concern when the look over the fence to our neighbors. (yes you read correct, I communicate with my trees) The two adjacent groves have lost several trees each. I do not count them but if I had to guess a combined to total of 20-25 trees this year alone. Most, if not all to root transmission. Just today, looking over the fence I took this picture in which I see at least 3 trees wilting, I’m almost certain from root transmission. Mind you, these two groves are professionally managed.

As I drive around some groves are even worst, they are beyond practical “saving” the only practical thing to do is to bulldoze the whole grove and dig or grind the stumps and star with something new. I saw evidence of this also today in 184th Ave. That being said, that new crop better be a crop that does not mind copper saturated soil, product of years of spraying avocados with copper based fungicides.
I can point to some conditions accelerating the Apocalypse:

Avocados are not that profitable for most growers specially growers with little or no interest in agriculture, growers that in reality are land investors that need an agricultural exception. They want to spent as little as possible. Current protocols to keep the wilt under control require weekly attention and rapid response to nip any outbreak. An unlikely event in a land investor’s grove.
Land values are going up, currently at 40K-60K an acre. Inviting some people to throw in the towel and get a decent price for their land.
Others are people that owned or inherited the land, have an emotional attachment to it but for whatever circumstance do not have the means or the will to do what it takes.
Some growers have removed avocado trees and replaced them with other more profitable (for the moment) crops.
Too many growers expecting the researchers are going to come up with a silver bullet type of solutions and are taking their loses and just looking at the future hoping the bullet is going to come soon. Highly unlikely.

All is not lost, I know of growers that are attentive to their groves and do what they can to inspect and react to wilting trees, they keep their trees well fed and taken care of. Avocado Wilting Zombies and not going into these groves and if they happen to get in, there is a grower ready to cut their heads off.
In a few years when the overall canopy is reduced by 20-30% those growers will be handsomely rewarded with avocados prices that will make avocado crowing a decent business.

First Laurel Wilt visit this year. Early detection and quick response.

2/28/2016

Video of the process in the handling of my last Laurel wilt incident

Like if I had been bored in the middle of a tea shot hole borer infestation in my grove I get a visit from Laurel Wilt. The last visit was in October last year, by the time it was discovered I lost 7 trees. This was better in the sense that I may have lost one tree only. Time will tell. Don Pybas the Laurel Wilt coordinator sent me a text late afternoon on February 24 telling me he spotted a suspect tree from the helicopter.

This is actually excellent service from the Avocado Committee. I’m not sure I would had detected this so early from the ground. Thanks to this early detection I decided just to remove the infected tree and just infuse 6 trees around the wilting tree. I was able to remove the tree and roots, dispose of it and do the infusions, mission completed by February 26 mid-day, Less than 48 hours since discovery.
Seems like the Laurel Wilt is here to stay and no silver bullet in the horizon, the industry needs to develop strategies that work; early detection and rapid response. You have to control the wilt, not let the wilt control you.

Last 30 days have been Tea shot hole borer intense

2/16/2016

PicEuwallacea fornicatus

The culprit: Euwallacea fornicatus

Typical brach damage from Tea shot hole borer

Typical branch damage

Dead beetles head in the galleries to protect the entrance

Click on any of the pictures to enlarge

I keep finding wilting branches with active colonies of Euwallacea fornicatus. In some sections of Donie avocado as many as 70% of the trees have active colonies of this branch killing machine. The last 30 days have been days of active evaluation on how to treat this problem. Agreed that does not kill the tree in a few days like Laurel wilt but it is possible that unchecked can diminish the canopy size, thus limiting production and weakening the tree. Formidable opponent it is since does not discriminate on tree condition. Read that it likes healthy tree and the beetle test a tree for quality before starting to drill a gallery.
Altruistic in nature since it is willing to sacrifice its own life to protect their offspring’s inside the galleries. In some of the areas I have sprayed, I have found adult beetles dead, head first, blocking the entrance to the nursery gallery. How I which our politicians display some of these qualities!
This seems to be wide spread It just take a bit of looking to find the wilting branches inside the canopy as they look similar to normally dying branches. That is how I notice them. Seem to have a larger than usual dead branches.
I have posted this album in Facebook with pictures of how the damage loos for those who want to see.
Facebook Euwallacea Fornicatus Album
At the current time Dr. Daniel Carrillo, entomologist at TREC is testing various ways to deal with this. My most sincere gratitude to Dr. Carrillo and his team for the fast response to this situation.
From my end, looks like it is going to be a labor intensive enterprise; sanitation by infected branch removal and destruction plus spot insecticide treatment with a product soon to be determined.

Frecuent visitor, benefit of free trade: Euwallacea fornicatus or the Tea shot hole borer

1/18/2016

Tea shot hole borer cavity

Since early October of last year I have not had a Laurel Wilt incident in my grove in spite that is all around me, in all 4 directions. For some of my neighbors their Laurel Wilt spots keep getting larger due to improper handling. They don’t remove trees and their roots, they don’t trench the ground and they don’t inject. They don’t adequately feed their trees or their soil. High price to pay; loss of more trees. They have achieved continuum destruction of trees.
I will continue with my current nutritional program for my soil and trees, they continue to be very healthy.
I’m being visited with frequency by a member of the Ambrosia beetle family, Euwallacea fornicatus or the Tea shot hole borer.
I have several trees affected but so far seem to only cause some branch die back and affects the branches under the canopy that do not get much sun.
Picture to the left: Tea shot hole borer cavity. Found on January 18, 2016. Location the main trunk of a healthy tree.

Yesterday, I did find a spot in a main trunk and that concerns me. This same beetle is causing havoc in California because it carries fusarium that can slowly kill a tree. So far California does not have an approved chemical to treat it. Some of the scientific papers I have read seem to indicate that our Euwallacea fornicatus is very closely related to the one in California. I theorize that the fungus that causes the branch die back here may not be fusarium. I have one tree under fusarium suspicion.
Good article. http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/trees/beetles/tea_shot_hole_borer.htm
I’m monitoring the trees in my grove, I inspect all the affected trees weekly to detect any changes.
What benefits of free international trade with no protection! To the politicians that makes these decisions. Fornica-tus!

Avocado capitulation day due to Laurel Wilt disease

11/14/2015

We may be reaching avocado capitulation in the Homestead area. What does it mean? The definition of the word in this case is: The action of surrendering or ceasing to resist an opponent, in this case Laurel Wilt disease. The pictures in this post show growers removing healthy avocado trees and making plans to move to other crops. These are two cases that I have noticed in the last few days close to me, I’m sure there are more. These are the ones that know what to do with their land. The others are the ones that simply let the trees died and the Wilt moves and ravish their groves with impunity, they are hoping that a miracle cure will come along that includes resurrection of dead trees, dreamers.
I personally believe there is an integrated management solution and we will learn to live with Laurel Wilt. What we are seeing is actually a transition in the avocado industry to more involved growers. Integrated management starts with spending more money to keep the trees healthy, move to fungicides that do not sterilize the soil, feed the soil as well as the trees and growers that want to “patrol” their groves every few days.
Now we have a type of owner that inherited the land and cares little about it. This type will get out soon as they do not want to miss the second opportunity of selling their land at a decent price. With land reaching prices in the 40-50K range their exit is underway.
I’m not sure how this will happen since a lot of parcels are small, 5-20 acres and those owners have to rely to some extend on grove managers to do all or some of their work. Grove managers in the near future will have to adapt and transition from the old type owner that did not care much about their groves, and was happy just a few dollars and an agricultural exception, to the new owners that do want to pursue an integrated management solution to Laurel Wilt disease in avocado and get a decent returns on their investment. I’m thinking of a cafeteria type of grove manager that is capable to give each owner what they want and need. In years past the managers had one program identical to all their clients. That needs to disappear. The change is under way.

Removing avocado trees

DEFCON 1 The only response to a Laurel Wilt disease attack

10/3/2015

On Wednesday September 30, late in the afternoon I went to the grove to take some leaves samples for tissue analysis. Now thinking about it, it took me through a section I had not passed by in a couple of weeks, bad mistake on my part. Staring at my face I found three wilting Beta avocado trees, got closer and did verify beetle activity in 3 of them and possible root transmission wilting in one. I marked the trees, seven in total as I like to take at least a “clean” tree in each side of the event. The in-row spacing in my grove is only 10 feet so there is root grafting taking place, to me is important to get that extra tree out. I contacted Travis Smith from Brooks Tropicals and asked him to send a crew to cut the trees ASAP. I went home and started preparing my tree infusing equipment. Next day Thursday I was in the grove at 8:30am and the crew from Brooks was there getting ready to cut the tagged trees. They were done by 9:30am, trees cut, chipped and chips sprayed with insecticide, great job. I started infusing that morning and by the end of the day I had infused the fungicide in 19 trees, all the trees surrounding the hot spot. Before days end I left a voice mail for Jeff Crawford from Brooks asking him to see if he could send the backhoe to remove the tree roots out of the ground. I got to the grove around 1PM Thursday and the roots were out. Friday, I finished injecting a few more trees, further away from the hot spots and the tree roots were sprayed and taken out of the area. The only thing left to do is the ground trenching to break up any possible root connection with the “Hot spot” Brooks have been notified and they will probably get it done Monday. Trenching was done by 9:00 am Tuesday the 6:Total 4 working days. All that can possibly be done is done/
My most sincere gratitude to Brooks Tropicals my grove manager, it could not have been done without them, feels good to be backed up by a large organization with the resources to get the job done.
The point: this disease is manageable it you do what you need to do, fast and without penny pinching.
I do not know what this will cost; I will price it out and update the blog, but is well worth it. The alternative is to do it piece meal at the risk of the pathogen ingraining into the grove’s root system and taking a lot of trees and a lot of money to control.
This particular event was related to a lighting strike. These past few weeks we had huge electrical storms. The trees get hit by lighting and the beetles come to attack it. Years ago this was not a problem, now even the native ambrosia beetles carry the deadly pathogen so it is crucial to drive the grove every week.
The whole process cost $1005.00 including allowing for 20 tree injections at $15.00 which I did myself. Yes, It is manageable. Go to my video page where I have a video showing the process.

The Non-Laurel Wilt

9/18/2015

wilting branches avocado

Wilting in avocado tree (non-Laurel Wilt) Click to enlarge

Most of you who follow my work know that I believe that trees wilting for other reasons are more susceptible to getting attacked by the beetle carrier of the Laurel Wilt. I have done selective injection of phosphorous acid at various time in my grove in areas showing excessive wilting. . Since the implementation of the biological program last year, I only had to inject 2 trees in my 20 acre grove and these were not that bad. Visiting a grove today I saw a tree with two wilting branches as shown on the left that make a good case to treat.

The above photos are two branches of one tree. The sourunding vegetation looks very good,new growth at the terminals but the tree is showing selective signs of wilt. This is the tree or trees I would target for the phosphorous injection. Takes 5 minutes and in a few weeks the tree explodes with new growth. Now there are groves that all the tree look like the wilt in the picture and even worst. That is a totally different story that grove need major adjustments and "capital investment" $$$$$.