international

International HLB Conference Focused on Grower Solutions

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management, Research

This spring, the seventh International Research Conference on Huanglongbing (IRCHLB) was held in Riverside, California. The inaugural event was held in 2008 and funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture. USDA researcher Tim Gottwald and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor Jim Graham founded the …

hlb

Researchers Discuss Rising HLB Incidence in Brazil

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management

The incidence of citrus greening disease (HLB) in Brazil’s Citrus Belt of São Paulo and Triângulo/Southwest Mineiro rose from 24.42% in 2022 to 38.06% in 2023, according to Fundecitrus. The association’s annual survey indicates the disease increasingly demands more effective and collaborative measures. At a session of Brazil’s Expocitrus in June, Fundecitrus researcher Marcelo Miranda discussed the development of greening …

Residents’

Study Shows Florida Residents’ Attitudes on HLB

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Research

In the fall of 2022, five University of Florida researchers investigated Florida residents’ attitudes on HLB and Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) using online surveys over a 9-month period. The results of the study, Residents’ contribution to Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening management in Florida residential habitats, was recently published in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management. Authors Romain Exilien, …

study

Study Sheds Light on Defense Against HLB-Spreading Psyllids

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Research

A study by researchers from the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and South China Agricultural University sheds light on the genetic mechanisms that can defend against Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) infestation. ACP is the vector for HLB, the most devastating disease of citrus. The study was published in Horticulture Research on April 1. It unveils the roles of two cytochrome …

cultivars

Survivor Grapefruit Cultivars Set for HLB Trials

Daniel CooperGrapefruit, HLB Management, Research

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) citrus scion breeding program recently rediscovered several noteworthy grapefruit cultivars at the A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm in Groveland, Florida. Among these are the Florida Red, Red Blush and Henderson varieties. These cultivars were originally selected as long shots from the Whitmore Foundation Farm and were planted in 1986. They have survived …

cover crops

Cover Crops for Managing HLB

Daniel CooperCover Crops, HLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Davie Kadyampakeni and Miurel Brewer Row middle management is a key area that can improve tree performance. Row middles encompass 80% of citrus orchards, and 70% of the root system of citrus trees was located in row middles before huanglongbing (HLB). Typically, Florida citrus growers manage row middles using physical, chemical and mowing practices, often leaving them free of …

grapefruit

Some Grapefruit Showing Less HLB Symptoms

Daniel CooperGrapefruit, Rootstocks, Varieties

A recent update of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) Project evaluating multiple grapefruit varieties on different rootstocks reveals that some combinations have less HLB symptoms than others. Jackson has one of the lowest ranks for disease index across the combinations. The healthiest trees in the trial include: At least half of the blocks in the MAC trial …

pros

Interstock Pros and Cons for HLB Management

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Research

The pros of using interstocks for HLB management seemed to outweigh the cons, based on a presentation horticulturist Manjul Dutt made at this spring’s Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. Dutt is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor. An interstock is a graft of a citrus selection that can be used as a bridge between …

texas

Texas Researcher Honored for HLB Work

Daniel CooperAwards, Research, Texas

Texas A&M researcher Kranthi Mandadi has received the 2024 American Phytopathological Society (APS) Syngenta Award given to select scientists working in areas of crop protection and plant pathology. Mandadi is an associate professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco. He was selected for the award primarily for his breakthrough research on fastidious, …

HLB resistance

CRDF Focused on the Search for HLB Resistance

Daniel CooperCitrus, Citrus Greening, HLB Management

According to Rick Dantzler, Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) chief operating officer, the past seven days have been busy for CRDF’s committees. First, the Plant Improvement Committee, chaired by grower Joby Sherrod, reviewed several projects and ideas seeking HLB resistance in detail. A three-year plan for the plant improvement programs for University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …

bacterium

‘Crucial Step’ Taken in HLB Bacterium Cultivation

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Research

Huanglongbing (HLB) is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), which has been challenging to culture outside its host because of its intracellular nature and genome reduction. Due to these challenges, in-depth research on effective cultivation methods for CLas is essential to develop better control strategies. Such in-depth research was conducted by a team from the U.S. Department of …

phytophthora

Phytophthora Increasing; HLB Complicates Control

Daniel CooperDiseases

Phytophthora incidences are increasing in Florida citrus groves, plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman reported during a May 21 presentation. Phytophthora diseases include foot rot of trunk and limbs, root rot and brown rot. Batuman, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor, said these diseases led to yield reductions of 3% to 6% per year even prior …

hlb

HLB Control in Brazil and Florida Compared

Daniel CooperBrazil, Florida, HLB Management

A recent issue of the Annual Review of Phytopathology contains the article, “Management of huanglongbing of citrus: Lessons from São Paulo and Florida.” It discusses the lessons in HLB management, comparing what was done in orchards in Brazil’s state of São Paulo and in Florida. It also highlights the measures that worked and failed from the perspective of controlling the …

antibiotics

Integrating Antibiotics Into a Broader Management Plan for HLB

Daniel CooperHLB Management

By Lukasz Stelinski, Eric Roldan and Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski Use of antibiotics in fruit production is not a new idea, but it has only recently been applied on a larger scale in Florida citrus. The initial labels for huanglongbing (HLB) treatment with antibiotics in Florida citrus were approved in March 2016 in response to significant economic losses caused by HLB. Antibiotics …

nematodes

Sting Nematodes in the HLB Era

Daniel CooperPests

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center hosted an OJ Break seminar in mid-May. Topics included management of nematodes, results of trunk-injection therapies and the use of cover crops in citrus. Larry Duncan, a UF/IFAS professor of nematology, presented research findings on the impact of sting nematodes in citrus. He provided …

annual meeting

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Georgia Citrus Association Annual Meeting Focused on HLB and More

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source, Events, Georgia

By Peter Chaires The Georgia Citrus Association held its seventh annual meeting on Feb. 27 at the University of Georgia (UGA) campus in Tifton. As usual, the event was well organized and well attended. The agenda included topics such as: It was a value-packed day. HLB RECOMMENDATIONS Roger Smith of TreeSource Citrus Nursery in Woodlake, California, traveled quite a distance …

climate

Kaolin and Climate Impacts on HLB Addressed

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management

The impacts of kaolin and climate on HLB in Brazil were among topics addressed by researchers from Brazil’s Fundecitrus during the recent International Research Conference on HLB in Riverside, California. HLB is also known as citrus greening. Researcher Marcelo Miranda discussed results of a study on the use of processed kaolin in low doses to reduce the HLB-spreading psyllid population …

hlb

Rigorous HLB Control Works at Brazilian Farm

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management

Fabrício Eustáquio Lanza, research coordinator at Brazil’s Cambuhy Agricola, recently told how his company has kept HLB at low and economically acceptable incidence levels. His presentation at the recent International Research Conference on HLB was based on a report he co-authored with Alexandre Tachibana, Ivan Brandimarte, Antonio Juliano Ayres and Renato Beozzo Bassanezi. The report follows: MANAGEMENT MEASURES Huanglongbing (HLB), …

BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT FOR HLB MANAGEMENT

Morgan ColeSponsored Content

BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT FOR HLB MANAGEMENT A groundbreaking study recently conducted by renowned Brazilian agro-science has resulted in a formula for the effective management of citrus greening, a disease that has severely affected citriculture in Brazil and worldwide for a long time. It was in the laboratories of the Citrus Center of the Agronomic Institute of …

testing

University of Georgia Lab Offers HLB Testing

Daniel CooperGeorgia, HLB Management

The University of Georgia’s (UGA) Plant Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (MDL) on the Tifton campus is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified lab performing huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening) testing. It offers the advanced test to commercial growers, homeowners, nurseries, Extension and research personnel and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The molecular test per sample costs $80. Candidatus Liberibacter species associated with HLB …