Impact of Satsuma Shortage in Cold-Hardy Citrus Region

Minimal satsumas this harvest season will impact cold-hardy producers far beyond the loss of production in the region.

MAINTENANCE MANDATORY

Growers are now tasked with maintaining their groves when there is little to no fruit on the trees. It is a chore that producers should still follow through on, however, says Jake Price, University of Georgia (UGA) area citrus agent.

“When there’s less fruit or hardly any fruit, growers tend to ignore the trees. They might be like, ‘I’m not going to put out fertilizer this year,’” Price said. “If you ignore the maintenance, you could have things build up. We don’t want the psyllids to spread. We don’t want any diseases to come in.

“It’s still good to maintain your trees. If you don’t maintain trees, they are more likely to be susceptible to cold weather.”

HOW LOW WILL IT GO?

The satsuma supply will be extremely low for the upcoming season following an overabundance of supply in 2024. The extreme alternate bearing cycle dates back to the Christmas freeze in 2022, which led to diminished yields in 2023.

“From what I’m seeing this year, there are trees that have zero fruit. You may find acres with hardly any fruit. It’s a big drop off,” Price said. “As far as how much, percentage wise, it could be up to an 80% loss.”

VARIETY RESEARCH

The drastic drop in satsuma yields this year is also prompting growers to more carefully consider alternative citrus varieties to grow. However, many of these varieties are still in the research phase at UGA.

“There are a lot of varieties out there that need to be tested. I’ve got a research plot with some Sugar Belles and a few navels and Tangos. A lot of people grow Shiranuis,” Price said. “Dr. Mary Sutton has a research plot that she’s putting in that will have a lot of different varieties. She’s going to have a lot of data on varieties, but it’s going to take time to get the trees planted and get some data.

“When you’re working with a tree, it’s not like a crop that comes in the spring and goes out in the fall. It’s going to take years to get the trees to where they produce and to do the research on the fruit.”