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News for citrus growers around the globe
The response rate in Florida has been lower than expected in an effort to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food and agricultural systems and to develop strategies for coping with future crises. Consequently, those involved in Florida agriculture are being asked to respond by April 11 to a survey about the pandemic’s impact. “We’re seeking food supply …
By Evan Johnson The Florida citrus spring leaf flush is hardening off, which means the first root flush of the year is beginning. With the spring root flush comes thoughts of phytophthora foot rot. Spring roots are at particular risk in groves that had high phytophthora pressure last fall because many of the resting spores will start activating with the …
Agricultural best management practices (BMPs) are essential to protect Florida’s natural resources by mitigating agriculture’s potential negative impact on the environment. Public benefits of BMP implementation include sustained or improved water quality, reduced soil erosion and increased water conservation. Private benefits can include improved crop yield and reduced input costs from less labor, fuel and fertilizer. “Growers provide a public …
By Christopher Vincent, Anirban Guha, Joon Hyuk Suh and Yu Wang It may surprise you to learn that citrus trees can get too much sunshine in the Sunshine State. Manipulating the light environment around a plant can have several surprising benefits. Shade can suppress the HLB cycle and enhance citrus health and yield. Overall, a mildly shaded citrus plant is …
A presentation at the recent Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Committee State of the Central Valley meeting in California highlighted the importance of scouting for Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) in groves. Scouting becomes even more critical as the risk of ACP and HLB, the disease the insect transmits to trees, rises. The presenter, University of California (UC) Riverside Extension Specialist …
The citrus organization Fundecitrus recently announced a voluntary initiative by citrus growers and the orange juice industry in the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt of Brazil. The initiative is called Sustainable Citriculture. Fundecitrus President Lourival Carmo Monaco said the citrus sector has already been adopting sustainable standards to be in compliance with rigorous Brazilian commercial, labor and …
The South Africa citrus industry will likely break all export season records with an estimated 158.7 million cartons in 2021, the Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa (CGA) reported recently. If the estimate is reached, it would represent a third consecutive season of record export volumes, with 130 million cartons exported in 2019, followed by 146 million cartons in 2020. …
This year’s La Niña weather event is bringing up bad memories for California citrus growers. The industry suffered during the drought years of 2012 to 2016 and the specter of a repeated drought looms with every dry day. The California Natural Resources Agency addressed drought fears in a recent report prepared by Jeanine Jones, interstate resources manager for the California …
Spain’s lemon industry “actively contributes to the fight against climate change by being a real carbon sink,” according to a recent report from the Lemon and Grapefruit Interprofessional Association (AILIMPO). A carbon sink accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compounds and thereby lowers the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Globally, the two most important carbon sinks are …
By Francisco Seva Rivadulla According to Bernardo Bravo, president of the National Committee of the Mexican Lemon Product System, Mexican lemons are produced on more than 90,000 hectares distributed in the states of Michoacán, Colima, Oaxaca and Guerrero. Regarding the challenges facing this sector, Bravo points out that “global phytosanitary alerts regarding citrus growing are increasingly latent and present …
Sometimes growers must think outside the box to remain sustainable amid high input costs and devastating diseases. That is the situation facing citrus growers who are struggling to remain viable in the era of citrus greening. What if seaweed could be used to aid in the quality of citrus production? Seaweed is a biostimulant that is part of the biological …
The Florida Citrus Commission in March received updates on recent orange juice (OJ) sales and Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) marketing efforts. Marisa Zansler, director of the FDOC Economic and Market Research Department, presented the sales data. The FDOC Nielsen retail sales report showed year-over-year not-from-concentrate (NFC) OJ sales increased by 13.9% while reconstituted OJ sales increased by 5%. Average …
A coalition of groups on March 25 sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approving spraying of streptomycin on citrus trees to prevent or treat HLB or citrus canker. The groups claimed that the practice of spraying antibiotics on trees has been ineffective in combating the diseases and can drive antibiotic resistance in bacteria, which can threaten human health. The …
The San Joaquin Valley ACP/HLB Area-Wide Task Force strongly recommends citrus growers in Kern County, California, to add an Asian citrus psyllid (ACP)-effective material to their pre-bloom or spring foliar treatments. Since ACP build populations on the young leaf flush, the sooner growers spray, the better. Fortunately, this timing coincides with pre-bloom treatments for katydid, worms, thrips and other pests. …
By Ramdas Kanissery Citrus growers face weed management problems throughout the year due to favorable conditions that allow the rapid growth of weeds in groves. A weed-free tree row is desired in citrus to minimize competition with the trees. This can be achieved by utilizing post-emergent herbicides that control the weeds that have already emerged. Growers have several product options …
Researchers have been looking for ways to help Florida citrus growers fight HLB, and spreading oak mulch around the drip line of citrus trees appears promising. Lukas Hallman, a graduate student at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) is doing research to find what is in oak trees …
Water is the lifeblood of any farming operation. Many involved in the agriculture sector are working to do all they can to help Florida conserve water and make the most of this essential natural resource. Tatiana Borisova, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) water resource economist, gave an overview of the water-quality policies and programs in …
The annual Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute, hosted by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension, will be held on April 6. The event will be delivered via a Zoom webinar from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. “We hope to reach a broad audience despite the limits imposed on us because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Chris …
Michael Rogers discusses three popular upcoming citrus grower educational meetings: Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute in April, the Florida Citrus Show in May, and Citrus Expo in August. Rogers is director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. UF/IFAS is the primary planner of educational presentations at all …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on March 5 announced an $18 million purchase of grapefruit juice in response to winter weather in Texas, the Indian River Citrus League (IRCL) reported. The February Texas freeze caused estimated citrus crop losses of at least $230 million and hit before much of the Texas citrus crop had been harvested. “For the past …
