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News for citrus growers around the globe
Some fruit drop in citrus is a naturally occurring process, but other types of drop can and should be avoided. In the September issue of Citrus Industry magazine, University of Florida researchers discuss HLB-associated pre-harvest fruit drop and glyphosate-related fruit drop. Not only does HLB increase fruit drop, it also negatively impacts fruit flavor. Another research article in the September …
The 27th annual Citrus Expo saw great success as growers piled into the Lee Civic Center on Aug. 15–16 in North Fort Myers, Florida. Growers experienced the biggest trade show in Citrus Expo history, as well as extended citrus seminar sessions. The educational program, titled “Planting Tomorrow’s Profits,” featured presentations on the latest research from the University of Florida Institute …
Florida’s citrus acreage continued a long descent in 2018, decreasing 2 percent to 447,012 acres. The total number of acres is the least since the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service began keeping count in 1966. The 2018 count was released on Aug. 28. There was a gross loss of 20,114 acres in 2018, partially offset by new …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Frostproof will celebrate its 100th year beginning at noon on Sept. 1, 2018. The Frostproof Centennial Committee has been posting a number of articles on its Facebook page in honor of the celebration. One of the articles noted how Frostproof was incorporated. On June 18, 1918, at 3:00 p.m., 47 Frostproof men met in the Thompson …
Florida Citrus Packers honored Douglas C. Bournique with its John T. Lesley Award for Excellence at Packinghouse Day on Aug. 23. The award is the organization’s highest recognition, reserved for individuals making sustained and outstanding contributions to Florida’s fresh citrus industry. The list of recipients reads like a “who’s who” of the Florida citrus industry. Bournique brought his talents and …
By Len Wilcox The labels that citrus packinghouses formerly placed on their shipping crates have a long and colorful history. These vibrant labels — usually square, depicting a beautiful farm, pretty lady or perhaps some impossibly perfect oranges — have become art objects and unique representations of their time and place in history. LOCATIONS OF COLLECTIONS In Florida, that history …
A 4-year-old citrus-under-protective-screen (CUPS) trial offers hope for fresh grapefruit growers who struggle to grow fruit in the face of HLB, Arnold Schumann reports. Schumann says last season’s Ray Ruby grapefruit crop enclosed in CUPS at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred had 100 percent packout, even after Hurricane Irma inflicted some damage to the CUPS structure …
Highlands County Extension Director and Citrus Extension Agent Laurie Hurner summarizes discussions at a grower forum she hosted in Sebring on Aug. 23. Crop conditions and bactericides for HLB were among topics discussed. “We heard that the crop is looking good,” Hurner says. “I think people were optimistic, but they were also hesitant in their optimism.” She points out that …
By Aaron Himrod Although there is a current lack of true resistance to HLB, making appropriate variety choices does have a significant impact on grove performance and profitability. Compromises among the various factors will have to be made. Take note of the most limiting factors in your grove and make your selection with these in mind. HLB exacerbates stresses that …
By Nate Jameson The decision-making process for choosing a scion/rootstock combination involves multiple factors. The process starts by answering the following questions: Question 1: New planting or resetting? If the block is being reset, is still profitable and will stay in production for several years, then I suggest the grower stay with the existing combination currently planted. If the block …
The use of canines or “sniffer dogs” is again being investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for early detection of HLB-infected trees. Through the HLB Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) program, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has invested millions of dollars in the research and training of detector canines for finding HLB-positive trees. A recent full-day meeting in …
By Ernie Neff For Phil Rucks and Tom Powers at Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery in Frostproof, Florida, selecting rootstock and scion combinations starts by acknowledging that some varieties just don’t do well with HLB. “We don’t recommend some varieties regardless of rootstock,” Rucks says. Powers says varieties that are especially difficult to grow with HLB are Hamlin, midsweet and pineapple …
As growers decide how to use U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to recover from damages caused by Hurricane Irma — and as they cope with the ongoing impact of citrus greening — University of Florida researchers are suggesting varieties for them to replant. Producers can grow varieties that show tolerance to greening — also known as huanglongbing, or HLB. …
At the recent general session of Citrus Expo, AgSafe President and CEO Amy Wolfe discussed emerging issues in ag labor and food safety. One of the topics she covered was the federal Ag and Legal Workforce Act that was introduced in Congress on July 18. The new bill is an effort to combine the existing agricultural guestworker program, H-2A, with …
They say timing is everything in life, and that’s certainly true of the Asian citrus psyllid, which has devastated Florida agriculture for the past decade by transmitting citrus greening disease, also known as huanglongbing or HLB. To reproduce, this small, flying insect must lay eggs on citrus “flush” – the tender new leaves and shoots that citrus trees produce several …
Larry Black, president of Florida’s Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), attended a recent meeting in Fort Pierce to discuss HLB research prioritization and funding. He joined officials with other agencies that fund HLB, including California’s Citrus Research Board (CRB) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Black says the agencies met “to look at ways we can be more …
Congratulations to citrus grower Jimmy Carter of JK Carter Groves in Lake Wales, Florida, the winner of the John Deere gun safe giveaway at Citrus Expo 2018! This popular Citrus Expo annual giveaway is a tradition made possible by sponsorship from Everglades Equipment Group. All growers who pre-register for Citrus Expo are eligible for the drawing. Megan Price, Miss Florida …
Beginning this week, Florida citrus growers will have an updated resource to help them keep groves productive despite the ever-present threat of huanglongbing, the bacterial malady also known as HLB or citrus greening disease. Experts with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have just completed a 180-page technical handbook, “Florida Citrus Production Guide 2018-2019.” It …
By Fred Gmitter, Ed Stover, Randy Driggers, Greg McCollum and Jude Grosser The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service citrus breeding program has a long history of releasing successful scion and rootstock cultivars. There had been a 15-year lapse in creating new hybrids, and the recently released cultivars largely reflect breeding efforts that preceded the onslaught of HLB …
As Florida citrus growers look to recover from the damages of Hurricane Irma and continue to cope with citrus greening, University of Florida (UF) scientists suggest using a complete and balanced nutrient program in their groves. “Mineral nutrition plays a vital physiological role in the growth and development of a plant and as well as in plant-defense response,” said Tripti …
