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News for citrus growers around the globe
Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) recently submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service endorsing the European Union’s (EU) 10-year registration renewal efforts for glyphosate. In the letter, FFVA stressed that glyphosate herbicide has been used safely and successfully in Europe for more than 40 years. It noted that leading health regulators, including in Europe, the …
HLB, spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), has been the scariest and most destructive disease that Florida citrus growers have ever faced. So, it was fitting that entomologist Jawwad Qureshi made a virtual presentation about ACP/HLB on Halloween, often considered the scariest day of the year. Qureshi, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor, …
The latest plant protection guides for citrus and deciduous fruit growers in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW), developed by NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), are now available online. The citrus plant protection guide 2023–24 is available here. The orchard plant protection guide for deciduous fruits can be found here. The plant protection guides are developed by NSW DPI …
Fresh fruit produce company Fruit World announced its recent Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) certification out of its Reedley, California facility. The company also reported that the California citrus season is late this year, and that Fruit World’s chief executive officer will participate on a panel discussing the upcoming Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rule. According to Equitable Food Initiative’s website, it …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $3 billion to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2022. Eligible producers can apply for financial assistance through the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) 2022. The program will help offset the financial impacts of crop yield and value losses from qualifying disasters occurring in 2022. “In our continued …
By Maegan Beatty On Oct. 27, Jose Chaparro hosted a citrus breeding research update at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Teaching Orchard in Gainesville. The event included a variety display and field tour. Chaparro, a UF/IFAS associate professor of horticultural sciences, focused on how he and his team are taking on the significant task …
By Lourdes C. Pérez Cordero Editor’s note: This article grants one continuing education unit (CEU) in the Core category toward the renewal of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services restricted-use pesticide license when the accompanying test is submitted and approved. Pesticides can often pose a threat to the health and safety of people, wildlife and the environment if …
Production in the cold-hardy citrus region was under the spotlight during a recent field day in Quincy, Florida. Growers and industry leaders visited the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) to learn about various facets of citrus production. Topics like controlled-release fertilizers, crop diversification and implementation of artificial intelligence …
The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) on Oct. 25 set the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) budget and grower assessment rates for the 2023–24 season. The FDOC budget will be $23.239 million, about $6.5 million less than the 2022–23 budget of $29.795 million. It includes administrative and support services of $2.153 million, a general revenue service charge of $222,000, a research …
By Fernando Alferez and Divya Aryal There are some indications that brassinosteroids (Brs) may advance commercial internal maturity by almost one month in Valencia sweet orange, depending on the time of application. However, the best time of application in this variety and other sweet orange varieties like Hamlin still needs to be determined, so that this treatment can become economically …
The search for solutions to HLB has gone on for nearly two decades. Growers and researchers have learned ways to improve nutrition programs to keep trees alive and productive, but nowhere near at the level of the days before the disease. One area of research that could yield a tree resistant to HLB is genetic engineering. There are no transgenic …
Growers have concluded their first round of injecting their citrus trees with oxytetracycline (OTC) and now are anxiously awaiting the results. So far, trees seem to be responding with larger leaves and fruit, but fruit retention will tell the story if the treatment is moving the needle against HLB. For many years, there was a perception among growers that if …
Early this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in cooperation with other government agencies, got Vietnam to open its market to U.S. grapefruit. Fresh citrus grower, harvester and packer Wonderful Citrus, which has worked with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to grow its exports, saw a ripe new opportunity. “Wonderful Citrus and our grower partners are excited for …
Citrus growers are invited to tour the 20-acre Millennium Block at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce on Nov. 7. The tour will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. New varieties in the grove are in their fourth year of growth. Researchers are …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has been awarded five federal grants totaling more than $5 million to control HLB. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). HLB is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). The Asian citrus psyllid can transmit CLas into a …
There have been signs of improvement for the Australian citrus industry in the 2023 season compared to 2022. Among other things, Citrus Australia Chief Executive Officer Nathan Hancock said fruit quality has improved this season. The tail end of the 2023 harvest has been particularly strong from a quality perspective, according to Hancock. “While the earlier fruit this season struggled …
The Florida Remembered Society Inc. is hosting a Florida’s First Thanksgiving event Nov. 15 to showcase plans for the creation of the Headwaters Heritage & Cultural Center in Fellsmere. The event will recreate the first Thanksgiving and be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Vero Heritage Center on 14th Avenue in Vero Beach. The Headwaters Heritage & Cultural …
The governor of Brazil’s state of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, on Oct. 16 decreed the formation of a state committee for greening contingency after meeting with several members of the state’s citrus industry. Greening affects 38.06% of orange trees in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. The governor acted after considerations by the Sylvio Moreira Citriculture Center/Agronomic …
Recently, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) declared an HLB quarantine in Ventura County following the first detections of the disease in the county. In response, the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program (CPDPP) issued a list of HLB resources. The resources are intended to help inform the citrus industry about what changes to expect from the quarantine, …
By Ariel Singerman Citrus growers in Florida are now allowed to inject their trees with oxytetracycline (OTC) to try to control Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus and/or suppress citrus greening. The use of OTC is expected to improve the trees’ health and, in turn, increase yield. In this article, cost estimates are used to address the question of what yield response is …
