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2026–2027 Florida Citrus Production Guide: Citrus Scab

Megan M. Dewdney


Application Timing Recommendations

  • Do NOT use a strobilurin fungicide (FRAC MOA 11) for two applications in a row.
  • Resistance is a risk for this fungal disease.
  • For a heavy infection during the previous season, three applications are needed.
  1. At ¼ spring flush expansion:
    • Enable 2F, Gem, Headline, or Quadris are the best choices at this timing.
  2. At petal fall:
    • If you chose a strobilurin (FRAC MOA 11) for the first application, do not use here.
  3. Three weeks following the second application:
    • Copper fungicides, Gem, Headline, or Quadris.
  • If there is a small amount of disease the previous season, the first application can be omitted.
  • If scab severity is high, do not use copper alone for the third application.

DO NOT APPLY GEM, HEADLINE, OR QUADRIS IN NURSERIES. Application of these fungicides in nurseries can result in selection of resistant strains, which are then distributed on nursery stock to groves.

Recommended Chemical Controls

READ THE LABEL.

See Table 1.

Rates for pesticides are given as the maximum amount required to treat mature citrus trees unless otherwise noted. To treat smaller trees with commercial application equipment including handguns, mix the per-acre rate for mature trees in 125 gal of water. Calibrate and arrange nozzles to deliver thorough distribution, and treat as many acres as this volume of spray allows.

Table 1. Recommended chemical controls for citrus scab.

Pesticide

FRAC MOA1

Mature Trees Rate/Acre2

Copper fungicide

M 01

Use label rate.

Enable 2F

3

8 fl oz. Do not apply more than 3 times per year; no more than 24 fl oz (0.38 lb a.i.)/acre. Minimum retreatment interval is 21 days. Do not apply with polymer-based spray adjuvants.

Gem 500 SC3

11

1.9–3.8 fl oz. Do not apply more than 15.2 fl oz/acre/season for all uses. Do not apply within 7 days of harvest.

Headline SC3

11

9–12 fl oz. Do not apply more than 54 fl oz (0.88 lb a.i.)/acre/season for all uses.

Quadris3

11

12.0–15.5 fl oz. Do not apply more than 90 fl oz (1.5 lb a.i.)/acre/season for all uses. Minimum retreatment interval is 7 days.

1 Mode of action class for citrus pesticides from the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) 2025. Refer to chapter 4, "Pesticide Resistance and Resistance Management," for more details.

2 Lower rates can be used on smaller trees. Do not use less than the minimum label rate.

3 Do not use more than 4 applications of strobilurin fungicides/season. Do not make more than 2 sequential applications of strobilurin (FRAC MOA 11) fungicides. Do not use in citrus propagation nurseries.