Photo by Alexandros Theodossis, The Independent Florida Alligator
Nazneen Qureshi, a University of Florida (UF) graduate research assistant, is investigating how photoperiod — the amount of light a plant receives each day — can help citrus fruit tolerate cold weather.
Qureshi’s research is done alongside UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Assistant Professor Muhummad Shahid. The research looks at whether the amount of light a plant receives influences its cold tolerance. Qureshi and Shahid will be stationed at the North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy with a research team for the next two years, testing whether photoperiod helps citrus fruit survive in cold temperatures.
Research into freeze tolerance among citrus crops remains limited, Qureshi said. “Right now, farmers are having very major losses because of freeze events, which are not very common,” she said. “We had seven inches of snow recently in January. So in order to develop freeze-tolerant varieties, we need this fundamental research.”
Kevin Folta, a UF/IFAS professor who specializes in fruit physiology, has grown citrus crops for 10 years. He’s also co-founder of Eggsotics, a family farm that grows several varieties of citrus trees.
Folta said his wife, a specialty citrus grower, produces oranges, lemons and finger limes, and they sell their fruit at farmers markets and through restaurants.
Folta has seen his crops suffer from freeze events, most recently earlier this year. They experienced nights at 20 to 24 degrees Fahrenheit, he said, and several trees did not survive.
“The first 24-degree night was the night my son was born, and I couldn’t be there to protect the trees, so we lost quite a few young trees because of the freeze,” Folta said. “Older trees lost early fruit.”
When weather cools down slowly, Folta said, citrus plants can acclimate to the changes effectively. But sudden cold snaps don’t give citrus plants as much time to adjust, resulting in damaged crops. “You can’t possibly protect massive acreage,” he said.
Source: The Independent Florida Alligator
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