Rubidium Uptake as an Indicator of Citrus Root Damage

Abstract

Abstract Sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) seedlings grown in pots in a greenhouse had 1.8 times as much rubidium in the leaves when larvae of Diaprepes abbreviatus L., the West Indian sugarcane rootstalk borer, were feeding on their roots than weevil-free control trees. Manually inflicted damage to the roots simulating weevil damage had a similar effect. Rubidium uptake could be used to detect root damage as a nondestructive substitute for visual inspection of the roots.