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News for citrus growers around the globe
Citrus breeders at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have been making a big push for four years to develop new orange varieties for processing. The need for the push was accentuated last year by a multitude of adverse situations on the processing side of the business. In a recent virtual presentation, UF/IFAS plant breeder …
The Gulf Citrus Growers Association hosted a member luncheon last week at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. Speakers at the event focused on water and nutrient management. West Gregory, director of the Office of Agricultural Water Policy with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), spoke during the event. He outlined his priorities for …
The Florida Department of Citrus held a research and budget workshop on Oct. 4. Rosa Walsh, director of scientific research, presented an overview of the general funds received for research this fiscal year along with several possibilities for use of these funds for feedback from the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC). Walsh reported that $1.65 million was received in general revenue …
By Ute Albrecht and Leigh Archer Trunk injection is an alternative technique for applying crop protection materials. This technology has now been approved to deliver oxytetracycline (OTC) for huanglongbing (HLB) management in Florida. Injections cause injury, and best practices need to be established to minimize injection-induced tree damage. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers (UF/IFAS) injected …
By Matt Smith One of the things I like most about being an Extension agent is getting to work with new growers. Despite all odds, some of these growers are getting into citrus. With hurricane season underway, it’s good for new growers to know — and for established growers to refresh themselves on — how to prepare before a storm …
On Sept. 20, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper announced, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Georgia (UGA), the discovery and destruction of a second yellow-legged hornet’s nest on Wilmington Island near Savannah. The yellow-legged hornet is a non-native species that, if allowed to establish in the United States, could threaten honey production, native …
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) approved three new projects during its September board of directors meeting. The projects will test the injection of different antimicrobial materials to treat HLB. One project will be managed by Ozgur Batuman, a citrus pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Another will be run by Kranthi …
A federal pest risk assessment for the importation of fresh citrus from Japan has identified the Japanese orange fly (Bactrocera tsuneonis) as posing a high risk of introduction into the United States. The 120-page assessment was prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). The agency assessed the risk of scores of insects, …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center breeding program has released three new scion cultivars in the last year. These cultivars provide opportunities for diverse segments of the Florida citrus industry, including nurseries catering to the home landscape marketplace. The new releases demonstrate the value of a broad-based breeding program to …
The Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources (WLI) recently selected 30 participants for Class XII of its two-year leadership development program. The program’s first seminar will take place in Gainesville in November. Participants have committed to 11 seminars, totaling 55 days, which further develop their leadership capacity in representing agricultural and natural resources industries. Seminars will be held …
Later this month, Florida citrus fruit displays will get underway. This is a key component of the citrus breeding program to get input from growers and other industry stakeholders on how fruit from potential new varieties looks and tastes. During the September All In For Citrus podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has declared a quarantine in Ventura County following the detection of the citrus disease huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, in two citrus trees on one residential property in the city of Santa Paula. These detections are the first HLB-positive trees in Ventura County. CDFA is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture …
The resistance of HLB-spreading psyllids to some insecticides and the low effectiveness of insecticides applied via drench to control psyllids were recently addressed by Fundecitrus researchers. RESISTANCE OF PSYLLIDS Fundecitrus professionals participated in a meeting of the Brazilian Insecticide Resistance Action Committee. They were researcher Marcelo Miranda and agricultural engineer and postdoctoral fellow at Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture/University of …
The 2023–24 California forecast for Tango and W. Murcott Afourer mandarins is 21 million 40-pound cartons, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) recently reported. This forecast is based on the results of the 2023–24 mandarin objective measurement survey, which was conducted from July 1 to Sept. 1, 2023. This is the first time the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s …
By Fernando Alferez, Daniel Boakye, Murillo De Sousa and Pablo Orozco After HLB was first detected in Florida, increase in disease-associated preharvest fruit drop in affected trees has significantly reduced grower returns. Fruit drop is normal in healthy citrus, accounting for 10% to 15% of the total crop. However, under endemic HLB conditions and depending on the variety, crop loss …
California citrus growers faced significant citrus thrips challenges this season due to the unprecedented rainfall, California Citrus Mutual (CCM) reported. The unusual weather pattern led to uncontrollable conditions in the field. Reports from the CCM Pest and Disease Task Force indicated that some growers have experienced exterior fruit scarring on as much as 80% of the fruit in individual blocks. …
Citrus breeder Jude Grosser recently shared tips on tree nutrition and discussed some scion/rootstock combinations that should work well for trees producing juice oranges. NUTRITIONGrosser became very interested in citrus nutrition several years ago in an effort to keep his newly bred trees healthy in the face of HLB. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor …
Egyptian citrus could be on the way to the U.S. market after a request was made to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A pest risk assessment has been drafted by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Jim Cranney, president of the California Citrus Quality Council (CCQC), said the assessment is for fresh oranges and tangerines, which would …
In the nearly two decades that huanglongbing (HLB) has plagued Florida citrus groves, about $1 billion has been spent in the search for solutions. A lot of great scientists in Florida and around the world have worked on the problem, and a silver bullet, if there is one to be found, has been elusive. Researchers, along with growers, have developed …
By Ozgur Batuman Plant virus diseases are unusually difficult to manage if introduced into new production sites. Citrus-infecting viruses, particularly those spread by insect vectors, are no exception to this. Florida is regularly challenged by a barrage of invasive pests and pathogen species that could devastate the citrus industry. Viruses causing citrus leprosis and citrus yellow vein clearing diseases are …
