Waste from the citrus industry can provide biogas and valuable products for a range of industries, according to a doctoral thesis at the University of Borås in Sweden. “The citrus industry creates so much waste that it corresponds to between 40 and 60 percent of the total citrus mass,” said Lukitawesa Lukitawesa, who recently defended his doctoral thesis at the …
Grower Discusses Conservation Steps
Travis Miller, part owner and manager of the 330-acre DeSoto Grove in DeSoto County, was recently recognized by the Florida Farm Bureau Federation for his natural resource conservation efforts. Miller and 22 other Florida farmers and ranchers received the Farm Bureau’s County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) award. Miller reports on the conservation steps taken at DeSoto Grove: “We …
COVID-19 Impacts on Florida Citrus
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Florida’s citrus industry were recently summarized by Fritz Roka, director of the Florida Gulf Coast University’s (FGCU) Center of Agribusiness. Roka discussed pandemic impacts on both the citrus production side of the industry and the packing and juice-processing segments. Here are some highlights of Roka’s presentation that apply to both the production and …
Disappointing Decision on Australia’s Juice Rating
Citrus Australia expressed disappointment at the Nov. 27 decision by state ministers to endorse a Health Star Rating system that gives diet cola a higher rating than fresh Australian juice. The Food Regulation Forum, comprised of ministers from every Australian state and territory, rejected Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud’s proposal to award fresh juice 4 stars in recognition of its …
Four to Join Citrus Hall of Fame
The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame will induct four new members in 2021. They are John L. Jackson of Sorrento, Florida; the late Lew J. Prosser of Plant City, Florida; Adam H. Putnam of Memphis, Tennessee; and Steven D. “Steve” Sorrells of Arcadia, Florida. They will be inducted during a luncheon tentatively scheduled for Nov. 5 at Florida Southern College …
Uncovering How HLB Acts Inside a Citrus Tree
Amit Levy with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) describes research he’s conducting into the way the causal agent of HLB interacts with a citrus tree. The causal agent is the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). Levy, whose research is funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, says CLas is found in a citrus …
Citrus Growers Dodge Freeze
Lindy Savelle received numerous calls and texts from relatively new southern Georgia citrus growers prior to a mild freeze the morning of Dec. 2. “They were asking, ‘What should I do?’” said Savelle, president of the Georgia Citrus Association. The new growers were concerned because lows of 26 and 28 that morning were the coldest in the region in several …
Florida’s Natural Growers Get Good Returns
Although COVID-19 whacked away-from-home sales at hotels, restaurants and the like in 2019-20, Florida’s Natural posted record net sales and its growers received strong returns on their fruit. “Our results were better than expected,” said Frank Hunt III, chairman of the nation’s third largest orange juice producer. Chief Financial Officer Chip Hendry pegged the cooperative’s historical high net sales at …
Hesperidin to Be Tested Against COVID-19
The National Institutes of Health’s National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) recently announced plans to evaluate the clinical efficacy of hesperidin against COVID-19. Orange juice and sweet oranges contain hesperidin. NCBI referred to hesperidin as “an old herbal medicine … used to treat vascular diseases in Europe and Australia and distributed with vitamin C as a dietary supplement in the …
COVID-19 Emergency Standards for California
The California Department of Industrial Relations adopted emergency temporary standards to protect workers from hazards related to COVID-19. Pending approval by the Office of Administrative Law, the temporary standards will be in effect immediately. The emergency standards will undergo a lengthy review process before becoming permanent California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) standards. The temporary standards apply to …
John Gose: Serving Youth and Industry
Ray Royce readily acknowledges grower and nurseryman John Gose’s many contributions to the Florida citrus industry, including serving “on way too many advisory committees to list.” Gose has even been president of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association, where Royce is executive director. PROGRAM LEADERSHIPBut it’s not Gose’s work with growers that most impresses the association executive. “I always think …
Flower Bud Advisories Have Resumed
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has resumed providing growers with regular flower bud advisories now that the critical time for citrus grove management has begun this season. Tripti Vashisth, UF/IFAS assistant professor, restarted the advisories Nov. 23 and will continue providing them every other week through the spring. The advisories provide critical information about …
Irrigating Young Trees in High-Density Plantings
Florida citrus yields have declined by almost 56 percent since 2005. With such a large decrease, growers have been forced to replant trees at much higher densities to counter-balance tree loss. In November 2017, researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) initiated a study to determine how …
Give the Gift of Citrus This Holiday Season
By Ruth Borger Sending boxes of Florida citrus across the country to friends and family during the holidays is a beloved tradition. But it is important to work with a certified grower/gift shipper as it is illegal in Florida for individuals to send citrus via the mail or delivery services. You can find a list of Florida gift fruit shippers …
Texas Mexfly Quarantine Established
Effective Nov. 5, 2020, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) established a Mexican fruit fly quarantine in Lasara, Willacy County, Texas. The pest is commonly referred to as Mexfly. APHIS, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement or entry into foreign …
New Uruguayan Citrus Varieties for Licensing
The Uruguayan Citrus Consortium has issued an international call for licensing several new mandarin and orange varieties for their evaluation, development, production and commercialization in North America and/or the Mediterranean Basin. The mandarins are F7P3, F4P7, F3P8 and F2P3. The oranges are NVA033, NVA036 and SELP100. An exclusive license is being offered for a period of up to 10 years. …
Grapefruit and Drugs: A Conversation
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus breeder Fred Gmitter recently had an email conversation with a retired Swedish pediatrician about a UF/IFAS grapefruit and pummelo hybrid that likely won’t interact with drugs. The retired physician, Leif Gothefors, had inquired about Gmitter’s work on the hybrid, UF 914. Gothefors noted that he had heard UF 914 …
Texas Research Should Help With HLB
Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have made a discovery that should help combat fastidious or “unculturable” pathogens, such as Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the HLB causal agent. HLB is also known as citrus greening disease. Kranthi Mandadi, a researcher with Texas A&M, and his colleagues have been working several years on developing new technologies to fight the fastidious pathogens. Mandadi and …
Delivering Peptides to Fight HLB
Encouraging news stories have appeared in recent months on the possible benefits of using peptides in the fight against HLB. Peptides, small groups of linked amino acids, have many functions, including acting on pathogens. As researchers continue to investigate the role of peptides in the fight against HLB, they are also looking for the most effective delivery method of these …
UF/IFAS Collaborates on HLB Research
Several University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty are collaborating with other universities and organizations on research, especially for HLB. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), summarizes the work they are doing on a variety of grant-funded projects. Rogers starts with a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded project led by …