By Fernando Alferez and Divya Aryal Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of plant growth regulators with several effects on plant growth and development. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) work in the last few years has shown that BR treatments may influence internal maturity in Hamlin sweet orange if performed at the right time. Research has …
Update on Efforts to Lower Required OJ Brix Level
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) and federal lawmakers from Florida are pushing legislation that would direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lower the required Brix level of not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice (OJ) from 10.5% to 10%. The change has been requested because many Florida oranges no longer produce juice that meets the 10.5% Brix requirement. FCM Chief …
Citrus Breeding Efforts to Solve the Brix Crisis
By Jude Grosser, Maria Brenelli, Ling Liu, Yu Wang and Fred Gmitter The combination of HLB and hurricane Ian have made this a disastrous year for Florida citrus, drastically reducing the quantity and quality of processing oranges. Brix values are the lowest in history. Early-season Hamlin juice with inferior quality is generally blended with late-season Valencia to achieve the target …
Grower Achieves High Brix and Stops Drop
Low Brix has been a major problem plaguing the Florida citrus industry in recent years. While many growers are struggling to achieve the minimum required Brix level, this has not been an issue for citrus grower Chip Henry. He recently shared how he believes his organic production techniques contribute to high Brix as well as stopping premature fruit drop in …
Brix Addressed in Proposed U.S. Legislation
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida introduced the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act. The legislation would direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lower the required Brix level of not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice from 10.5% to 10%. U.S. Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Stephanie Murphy, Kat Cammack, Daniel Webster, Maria Elvira Salazar, Darren …
Brix Is a Key Issue for Florida Citrus Mutual
Florida Citrus Mutual President Glenn Beck and Executive Vice President/CEO Matt Joyner recently met with members of Florida’s congressional delegation and others in Washington to highlight issues important to Florida citrus. The need for federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) action on lowering the Brix level was one focus of the meetings. Beck and Joyner met with U.S. Sen. Marco …
Improving Color Break and Brix in CUPS
Arnold Schumann recently reported on what he called “the most successful and practical intervention for improving color break and quality in CUPS fresh fruit.” CUPS stands for citrus under protective screen, a growing technique that Schumann, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher, helped pioneer in Florida. He reported on his work at a Feb. …
Florida Orange Ratio and Brix Requirements Reduced
In response to citrus damage from a late January freeze, the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) on Feb. 3 lowered the minimum ratio requirement for oranges to 8.5:1 with a minimum Brix of 8 for fresh and processed fruit. Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM), the state’s largest citrus grower association, asked for the emergency action on Jan. 31. FCM CEO Mike Sparks …
Florida Orange Brix Levels Not So Sweet Yet
Florida citrus growers and orange juice processors are reporting low Brix levels as the 2021–2022 harvest season continues. The Jan. 10 edition of the Market News Bulletin from Florida Citrus Mutual noted average Brix of 9.83. According to Bob Behr, chief executive officer of Florida’s Natural Growers, juice oranges being harvested now are running below average. “Citrus greening continues to …
Update on Florida’s Orange Brix Issue
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) provided additional information about the issue of low Brix oranges in its Nov. 19 Triangle newsletter. It reported that Florida growers and processors “are bracing for another season of low Brix oranges.” Earlier this year, FCM sought enforcement discretion regarding Brix in pasteurized orange juice, not from concentrate (NFC), from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) with the …
Brix Decision Disappoints Florida Citrus Mutual
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not agree with Florida Citrus Mutual’s (FCM) request for discretion in enforcing the Brix limit for not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice. In its Oct. 22 Triangle newsletter, FCM reported that it had sought enforcement discretion “to protect growers from the likely contingency that Florida’s 2021-22 orange crop may not meet FDA’s minimum Brix …
Mutual Petitions FDA Regarding OJ Brix
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) is making efforts to protect growers in the event Florida oranges don’t meet the minimum Brix requirement for not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice (OJ). FCM recently sent a formal request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking enforcement discretion to protect growers from the likely contingency that Florida’s 2021-22 orange crop may not meet FDA’s …
Suspension of OJ Brix Level Sought
For most months during the 2020-21 Florida citrus season, oranges did not meet the federal minimum standard of 10.5 degrees Brix for not-from-concentrate orange juice (OJ). According to a slide shown during Florida Citrus Mutual’s recent annual meeting, the average Brix level for oranges during the season was 10.45. Brix is a measure of the sugar content of juice. Consequently, …
Grower Meeting Features Trunk-Injection Results and Hurricane Relief
Florida Citrus Mutual hosted a grower informational meeting on Nov. 13 at Kenny and Cookie Sanders’ Grove House in Zolfo Springs. About 80 citrus growers gathered for the event to hear more about the latest research on trunk-injection therapy and discuss recovery efforts after Hurricane Milton. Ute Albrecht, associate professor of plant physiology with the University of Florida Institute of …
Field Day Featured Favorable Fresh Fruit Rootstock and Scion Combinations
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center recently hosted a field day showcasing its Millennium Block citrus grove. The field day went on despite the grove being impacted by a tornado associated with Hurricane Milton in October. The Millennium Block is one of the largest experimental trials examining fresh fruit …
The Florida Citrus Perfect Storm: Disease, Weather and Market Swings
By Ariel Singerman Orange yield in Florida has decreased by more than 80% since HLB was first found in the state in 2005. It is hard to find another example in recent history of an industry as iconic as Florida citrus that has declined so significantly as a consequence of a plant disease. As a comparison, at the global level, …
HLB-Tolerant Scion Breeding Update
U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) geneticist Matt Mattia with the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, recently provided a scion breeding update on HLB-tolerant citrus. A slightly edited version follows: Significant strides are being made in the development and evaluation of new citrus varieties, with many now nearing commercial release. These varieties are not only promising …
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Optimizing OTC Injections
By Ute Albrecht, Caroline Tardivo, Larissa Nunes, Gabriel Pugina, Gerardo Moreno and Jasmine de Freitas As growers are well into the second year of oxytetracycline (OTC) injections since approval for commercial use, more and more data are accumulating. The good news is that in all University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) trials, trees have been responding …
Plan to Attend the Millennium Block Field Day
By Robin Koestoyo On Nov. 7, citrus growers will join University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Assistant Professor Flavia Zambon to view new citrus varieties that show tolerance to citrus greening. Zambon will guide visitors at the 2024 Millennium Block Field Day, a walk-through interpreted tour. The Millennium Block is a seminal grapefruit trial on 20 acres …
Sneak Peek: October 2024 Citrus Industry
With the news that oxytetracycline (OTC) has been approved for a third consecutive year of trunk injection in Florida citrus, growers are looking to optimize their applications for the coming season. The October cover story in Citrus Industry magazine aims to help growers make the most of their OTC injections. University of Florida researchers tell the good, the bad and …