Finger Lime

Finger Lime Research Results

Daniel CooperFlorida, Limes, Research

A recent University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) document reported results of research about Florida finger lime storage temperatures and coatings. “Postharvest Changes That Occur in Finger Limes at Chilling and Non-Chilling Temperatures” was written by Moshe Doron, Faisal Shahzad and Jeff Brecht. The document notes that finger limes, like other citrus fruits, cannot continue ripening …

finger limes

Cultural Practices for Finger Limes

Daniel CooperEvents, Limes

At a recent finger lime field day, horticulturist Tripti Vashisth reported that most citrus rootstocks do well with finger limes. She said that Volkamer lemon and X-639 create the most vigorous trees, and that they and US-812 seem to be promising rootstocks for finger limes. Vashisth is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor …

field day

Finger Lime Field Day Draws Mostly Non-Citrus Crowd

Daniel CooperEvents, Limes

Only a few Florida commercial citrus growers were on hand for an April 24 finger lime field day at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Most of the more than 40 attendees did not own citrus groves, and about half were women — definitely not the standard crowd for a CREC event. Those in attendance had …

sunlime

Finger Lime Interest Expands in Florida

Tacy CalliesLimes

Florida is not a major producer of finger limes — yet. Australia has the most finger lime acreage in the world, and most U.S. finger limes are grown in California and Hawaii. But Florida’s acreage is expanding, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticulturist Manjul Dutt reported during a Dec. 20 presentation at the Citrus Research …

New Finger Lime Cultivars for the Specialty Citrus Market

Josh McGillLimes, Tip of the Week, Varieties

By Manjul Dutt The finger lime is an HLB-tolerant Australian native citrus that has been gaining popularity and importance in the last few years. Finger lime has several unique fruit qualities that set it apart from conventional sweet oranges and mandarins. The primary characteristic of this fruit is the round to teardrop-shaped juice vesicles, known as “citrus caviar,” that burst …

Rootstocks and Fertilization for Finger Limes

Josh McGillLimes, Nutrition, Rootstocks

Rootstock selection and fertilization are important for those considering growing finger limes in Florida. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences horticulturist Tripti Vashisth addressed both of those topics in a recent virtual Finger Lime Symposium. Vashisth concluded that Volkamer lemon, UFR-5 and US-802 rootstocks appear promising for finger limes. She noted that a vigorous rootstock influences tree …

Are Finger Limes the ‘Next Big Thing?’

Josh McGillLimes, Marketing

Will Florida finger limes be the “next big thing,” or will they show mediocre or poor performance in the commercial market? That’s a question two University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers hope to answer. Trent Blare and Fredy Ballen, both with the Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, discussed their work in a virtual …

Finger Limes Introduced for Florida

Josh McGillLimes, Varieties

Two recently released University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) varieties of finger limes were introduced at a virtual Finger Lime Symposium held in March. Manjul Dutt of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center hosted the symposium; he also introduced the new varieties. Lourdes Pérez Cordero, UF/IFAS Extension agent in Highlands County, reported on the new …

Finger Lime

Italy Seeks Finger Lime Entry into United States

Josh McGillExport/Import, International, Limes

The government of Italy has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to authorize the importation of fresh finger lime (Citrus australasica) for consumption into the United States. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has drafted a pest risk assessment that describes potential pests associated with the commodity. APHIS shares draft pest risk assessments to determine whether stakeholders …

Update on Finger Limes in Florida

Josh McGillLimes, Research, Varieties

The Australian finger lime has created a buzz among chefs and mixologists for its caviar-like texture and flavorful pulp. The fruit also has captured interest among growers for its seemingly high tolerance to HLB. On March 23, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted a half-day online symposium on finger limes to provide growers with …

Finger Limes to Be Focus of Online Event

Josh McGillEvents

Finger limes will be the topic of a March 23 virtual symposium sponsored by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center (UF/IFAS CREC). Finger limes are a unique citrus variety gaining interest among chefs, foodies and citrus growers. The symposium, targeted to commercial citrus and specialty crop growers and marketers, will be …

Could Finger Limes Be Florida’s Hero?

Ashley RobinsonAll In For Citrus Podcast, Limes, Research

The Australian finger lime, a citrus relative, could be a new specialty crop for Florida citrus growers. Traditionally, finger limes have remained rare in the United States, grown few and far between. However, the fruit’s unique tolerance to HLB is becoming increasingly attractive to Florida growers. Manjul Dutt, research assistant scientist at the  University of Florida Institute of Food and …

Growing Finger Limes in Florida: Lessons Learned So Far

Tacy CalliesLimes

By Manjul Dutt and Jude Grosser Finger lime, a distant relative of sweet orange and grapefruit, is a relatively new crop species for Florida. It is an Australian native species that has been gaining in popularity and importance in the last few years because of its unique fruit characteristics and disease tolerance, which sets it apart from conventional sweet orange …

Coming Attraction: Florida Finger Limes

Tacy CalliesVarieties

Sweet oranges. Ruby red grapefruit. Sugar Belle mandarins. When one thinks of Florida citrus, these fruits immediately come to mind. But finger limes? A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher believes that finger limes may be the next food trend that will continue to fortify Florida’s role as a citrus producer for the world. Manjul …

Specialty Crop Grower Sees Success with Finger Limes

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner

By Len Wilcox When Jim Shanley retired from his highly successful career in commodity trading, he knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to do it: farm specialty crops in the hills overlooking Morro Bay, California. His choice of crops, however, was not so clear. He started with avocados, but it was a curious little fruit from …

Finger Lime Could Be New Crop for Citrus Growers

Tacy CalliesBreeding

By Manjul Dutt, Ethan Nielsen and Jude Grosser The finger lime is a citrus relative, scientifically named Microcitrus australasica. Finger limes are native to Australia and are so named because the fruits are long and fingerlike in shape (see figures 1 and 2). Finger limes belong to a group of similar citrus relatives, all originating from Australia with common names …

sunlime

SunLime Has High Marketing Potential

Daniel CooperEvents, Limes

Finger limes are liked by consumers and might be marketed to high-end food outlets, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers reported recently. Speaking at a finger lime field day April 24 at the Citrus Research and Education Center, UF/IFAS data management analyst Fredy Ballen offered take-away messages from consumer/market research on the UF/IFAS-released SunLime finger …

Native Lime Might Keep HLB Out of Australia

Josh McGillHLB Management, International, Limes

A comprehensive map of the genome of an Australian native lime species that is resistant to HLB could be the key to preventing the disease from entering Australia. Researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia have sequenced the genome of the Australian round lime, also known as the Gympie lime. They are now looking at five other native …

Citrus Congress

Fundecitrus Participates in Australian Citrus Congress

Daniel CooperEvents, International

General Manager Juliano Ayres and researcher Franklin Behlau of Brazil’s Fundecitrus participated in the recent Australian Citrus Congress. Attendees discussed the impacts caused by citrus greening in affected countries like Brazil and worked to establish strategies for preventing and detecting the disease in Australia. During the event, Behlau gave a lecture at the Citrus Australia Biosafety Symposium and provided an …

California Researchers Seek HLB Tolerance

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Research

University of California, Riverside (UCR) has received three federal grants totaling more than $11 million for research focused on instilling HLB-tolerance in citrus trees. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The funding was enabled by the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act, which authorized the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Development …