Search

In Colombia, the citrus industry is at risk since 2016 due to HLB (Huanglongbing) disease. The Ponedera municipality (Atlántico) is one of the most affected by the disease; however, there is little information about the impact of HLB on the citrus production system. With the purpose of categorizing the farmers, identifying their conditions, and assessing HLB impact, a semi-structured survey with 79 questions on socioeconomic, environmental, and agronomic aspects, with emphasis on knowledge of the disease, was applied to 134 farmers. Through descriptive analysis and multiple correspondence, variables with the highest contribution level to producers categorizing were selected. Five groups were chosen according to training attendance, citrus species, origin of plant material, key lime age (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle), and Tahiti lime age and planting frame (Citrus ×latifolia Tanaka ex Q. Jiménez). The study found that between 2016 and 2020, more than 85% of farmers lost at least 50% trees due to limitations such as lack of: irrigation (67,6%), fertilization (75,4%), Asian citrus psyllid management (76,9%) or HLB (87,3%) management. Likewise, it evidenced the devastating effect of HLB disease on crops. The producer characterization established training as a differentiating variable, a result that will serve for developing technological offers, agricultural extension, and productive clusters formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]