![Hands-on](https://i0.wp.com/citrusindustry.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019-08-15-14.50.48.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&ssl=1)
A great new addition to the Citrus Expo program this year was a hands-on session that allowed growers to participate in scientific demonstrations while interacting with University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers.
Expo seminar coordinator Tripti Vashisth said all 11 demonstration stations were crowded. “It went really well, and we got very good attendance — actually more than we were expecting,” she said. “Growers were very enthusiastic about it.”
![Hands-on](https://i0.wp.com/citrusindustry.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Hands-on-Zelek-from-Goodland-Farms-Greenville-FL.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1)
The hands-on session was the main Expo attraction for satsuma grower Daryl Zelek of Goodland Farms in north Florida’s Greenville. “I’m more of a hands-on person, and this is a better teaching tool for me because if I do it once, I’m going to remember it more than if I read it five or six times,” Zelek said.
![Hands-on](https://i0.wp.com/citrusindustry.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Hands-on-Session.jpg?resize=1080%2C720&ssl=1)
The demonstration topics were the Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System, soil moisture sensors, root pathology, weed science, water treatment technology, soil and water pH, fungal diseases, a psyllid attract-and-kill trap, weather stations, citrus mites and diaprepes root weevil. Growers also had the chance to talk one-on-one with eight UF/IFAS professors during a “Meet the Specialists” session that ran concurrently with the hands-on program.
Hear more from Vashisth and Zelek, who were interviewed by Citrus Industry Editor Tacy Callies:
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