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News for citrus growers around the globe
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman discusses efforts to get materials that fight HLB into the citrus tree’s phloem, where it might be most effective. Batuman explains that bacteria that cause HLB “live inside the phloem of citrus. That is very difficult to reach to kill … by conventional methods, such as …
Four articles on grove management will give citrus growers food for thought in the July issue of Citrus Industry magazine. The first article tells how one grower handles HLB. Del Murphy discusses production practices that have helped him cope with the disease. Bactericides, irrigation and nutrition management are among the topics he addresses. The second article is for growers who …
By Ramdas Kanissery, Steve Futch, Brent Sellers and Camille McAvoy Glyphosate is a popular post-emergent herbicide among Florida citrus growers for its broad-spectrum of weed control under trees and in row middles. The use of glyphosate as a “burn-down” application alone, or in combination with other herbicides, is a standard practice in citrus groves. Various glyphosate-containing product formulations are available …
Joel Nelsen, former president of California Citrus Mutual, has been reappointed to the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee. This committee advises the U.S. secretary of agriculture and the U.S. trade representative on a myriad of policy issues. Nelsen has served on this committee since the George W. Bush administration. He has been the committee chair for the …
Tara Wade, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences economist, has some advice for growers considering new technology for the grove. “What we’d like growers to do is start to think about all the costs involved … do the math before they invest,” she says. “Growers have to constantly think about the trade-offs” of adopting new technology …
While citrus growers continue to look for best management approaches to deal with the deadly greening disease, scientists will take an integrated look at how to protect young trees by using existing tools growers can use. Five scientists from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will compare insect management tools, including insect-proof netting. Researchers also …
The Florida Citrus Commission approved a preliminary 2019-20 budget for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) based on an estimate of 71.40 million boxes of oranges and 4.51 million boxes of grapefruit. Presented Wednesday, the department’s total preliminary budget is $14.82 million with an overall budget decrease of about $4 million over the previous year, which is largely due to …
After serving nearly 10 years as the senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Jack Payne announced he will retire next year. His last day with UF/IFAS will be July 1, 2020. Payne has overseen Extension offices across Florida and its 12 research and education centers since …
According to a study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, current integrated pest management (IPM) techniques used in California mandarins may need to be adjusted to allow for differences between mandarins and oranges. The study suggests that following guidelines for oranges may lead to an overuse of pesticides in some situations. Almost all mandarins in America are grown in …
By Fernando Alferez, Christopher Vincent and Tripti Vashisth Brassinosteroids (BR), a relatively newly discovered class of plant hormone, regulate several developmental and physiological processes in fruit crops such as grapes, pears and cherries and in some non-edible plants. BR also induce disease resistance against different pathogens in a great number of crop plants. A form of BR (epibrassinolide) was shown …
June’s All In For Citrus Podcast is filled with updates on University of Florida citrus research. First, Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers discusses a recent visit by some U.S. Department of Agriculture administrators who make decisions on how millions of dollars in farm bill citrus research money are allocated. He explains that the visit was very valuable …
Arnold Schumann, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor of soil science, reports on his five years of research into citrus under protective screen (CUPS) for fresh fruit. He is one of the first researchers in Florida to do extensive, hands-on research into the system. His discussion is part of the current All In For Citrus …
Three meetings this week in three different areas of the state brought more discussion that should wake up producers and others in agriculture who have remained mostly silent for decades. As the state’s population continues to swell by a 1,000 new residents each day, Florida’s population will likely exceed 22-million next year. As the nation’s third most populous state, there’s …
A direct support organization (DSO) to be established within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will reportedly run the massive Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRAFT) program. Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks announced the pending arrangement June 13 during the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Bonita Springs. The CRAFT program features an expected 5,000 acres of …
Laboratory tests of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) indicate it has potential use as a fertilizer that might help citrus growers cope with HLB, says Laura Waldo, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) laboratory manager. “The hope is that it can help a tree by inducing root hair development and thereby allowing the tree to uptake nutrients …
Bonita Springs, Fla. – Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) has approved more than $77 million in payments to citrus growers impacted by Hurricane Irma through the Citrus Recovery Block Grant since January 2019. Upon taking office, Governor DeSantis directed FDEM to disburse hurricane recovery funding as quickly as possible, including providing field staff to …
Apopka citrus grower Chip Henry of McGuire Groves says orange juice (OJ) imports cost him money this year and may have led to other growers being stuck with unharvested fruit. “As the season progressed, I began to realize that the pricing structure was subject to being weakened considerably by imports of orange juice from primarily Mexico,” Henry says. According to …
You’ve heard an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Now orange peels may improve your heart health. Yu Wang, an assistant professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, part of the U.S. Department …
After 34 years of faithful service to citrus growers, University of Florida Extension agent Steve Futch readies for retirement. By Tacy Callies Steve Futch’s Florida citrus roots sprouted more than a century ago. His great-grandfather owned a Wauchula grove in about 1905. As a boy, Futch’s first hands-on citrus experience was hoeing trees in the family orange groves. Later, he …
The 2018–19 Florida all-orange forecast released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on June 11 is 71.4 million boxes. The total includes 30.4 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season and Navel varieties) and 41 million boxes of Valencia oranges. The June forecast for non-Valencia production is unchanged from the May forecast. Harvest is complete for the included varieties. …
