In 2022, the Florida Legislature allocated $8.7 million in funds to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to update nutrient recommendations for several specialty crops, including citrus.
In some cases, it had been decades since the recommendations were updated. The case was made that it was time for nutrient recommendations for citrus that consider new scientific understanding, new technology and the impacts of HLB.
The May All In For Citrus podcast episode dives into progress being made in updating the citrus nutrient recommendations. Tom Obreza, UF/IFAS professor of soil, water and ecosystem sciences, provides background on the legislative funding and how new research is being conducted. He is managing the effort underway at UF/IFAS.
Obreza notes that the amount of funding the state provided for this research was unprecedented. In fact, it was more than double what the university requested in 2022, and the Legislature has continued to fund the research.
While nutrient research often has been on the back burner over the years, this funding puts the work front and center. These new recommendations will be used as guidelines for updates to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Best Management Practices manuals for citrus and other crops.
Davie Kadyampakeni, UF/IFAS associate professor of citrus water and nutrient management, also joins the May podcast. He discusses his research specific to new nutrient recommendations for citrus. Kadyampakeni notes that the funding has allowed him and his team to research best nutrient practices for all the different citrus-production regions in Florida.
To learn what Kadyampakeni is finding and how it might impact nutrient recommendations going forward, don’t miss the May episode of All In For Citrus. The podcast is a partnership between UF/IFAS and AgNet Media.
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