Growers gathered in Avon Park for the annual Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute at South Florida Community College in early April. Scientists from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) presented updates on their work and the latest efforts to help in the fight against HLB. New this year, the scientists also hosted learning stations to further discuss their work and answer grower questions.
CRDF UPDATE
Morgan Porter, a Central Florida citrus grower, kicked off the event with an update from the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF). She is currently serving as the organization’s chairperson.
Porter gave a rundown of the various research projects CRDF is funding, including the quest for the “tree of the future,” which would deliver resistance to HLB. She also discussed efforts to find and seek approval of new trunk-injection therapies to supplement oxytetracycline (OTC).
The scope and urgency of research underway gives Porter hope. “I intend to have a future in Florida citrus,” she said. “And while we are still very much at risk, I believe it is an educated, science-backed approach we are taking with this risk. We are making progress, and we have the right people guiding this research.”
Porter concluded by encouraging growers to get involved with CRDF, attend upcoming meetings and provide input on the direction of research going forward. “This is your research, so I’d urge you to be involved,” she said.
HERE AND NOW
Much of the morning presentations focused on what growers can do right now to improve production and quality. UF/IFAS researchers Jawwad Qureshi and Nabil Killiny addressed strategies to better manage the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP).
Lukasz Stelinski, UF/IFAS entomologist, discussed work to develop a transgenic tree with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)genes that could potentially kill ACP. Stelinski said the early research looks promising, but more work is needed. A Bt tree being available to growers is still several years away, assuming everything goes to plan.
Ute Albrecht, UF/IFAS associate professor, updated her ongoing research on the performance of OTC. She said her trial continues to show the trunk-injection therapy is improving yield and quality.
UF/IFAS associate professor Tripti Vashisth spoke on her research studying the use of plant growth regulators to improve fruit retention. She informed growers about a new PGR being evaluated called Sitofex. While not yet labeled for citrus, she said work is underway to gain an exemption for use in citrus.
NEW FORMAT
The Citrus Institute planners changed the format this year. Rather than holding formal presentations after the lunch break, UF/IFAS researchers from various disciplines were available at learning stations where growers could visit and seek more information on topics of interest to them.
Chris Oswalt, UF/IFAS citrus Extension agent, said the idea was to make the event more interactive. He said it appeared to be a success based on the interactions between growers and researchers.
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