Leaf analysis finds high levels of chloride and low levels of zinc and manganese in Louisiana citrus1

Abstract

A survey of the nutrient status of the citrus groves of Louisiana was conducted to determine the extent of possible deficient or toxic areas of the region and to help determine the accuracy of critical values developed in the major citrus‐growing regions of the world and their relevance to a region where critical values had not been developed. The nutrient status of 29 orchards of Washington navel orange (Citrus sinensis) and satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu) trees on P. trifoliate rootstock representing 90% of the citrus region in Louisiana were determined using critical values from the literature. Twenty percent of survey samples ranked excessively high in chloride indicating possible toxicity from recent salt‐water intrusion. Chloride contents were higher in groves closer to the Gulf of Mexico. More than 60% of the leaf samples analyzed were diagnosed as having very low concentrations of zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn). Soil tests of surface soils to a 15‐cm depth did not prove useful in predicting Zn and Mn nutrition of trees, as all soil samples had medium or high levels of DTPA‐extractable Zn and Mn. Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were low in more than 20% of the leaf samples and high in less than 5% of the samples. Calcium (Ca) in the young leaves was low or very low in 95% of the samples, but no samples from older leaves were low or very low in Ca. These results indicate possible transient effects, errors in the critical values used, or environmental conditions that inhibit Ca uptake.