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News for citrus growers around the globe
Brazil’s Fundecitrus recently issued an alert about the risk of citrus floral rot during the current citrus flowering period. Citrus flowering periods must be on growers’ radar to avoid damage to orchards caused by citrus floral rot, also known as starlet. Attention must be doubled, especially if the flowering coincides with rainy periods, a determining factor in the occurrence of …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) recently revised sweet orange scab (SOS) requirements. APHIS revised the conditions for the interstate movement of citrus nursery stock (CNS) and updated the inspection requirements for CNS to be eligible for shipment. The federal order also updates the APHIS-Approved Packinghouse Procedures for Elsinoë australis, Causal Agent of Sweet …
HLB has reduced citrus production across the board, but early varieties like Hamlin have taken an even bigger hit. Hamlin has been plagued by the disease and fruit drop, which has left a void in the juice-processing segment in the early season. Growers who have been replanting have mostly relied on later-season varieties like Valencia because it seems to be …
Sunkist Growers, Inc. recently announced a partnership with National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (NBCF) to raise awareness about breast cancer and provide resources to those impacted by the disease. “Through their (Sunkist) support, they will help us provide early detection, education and support services to women affected by breast cancer across the country,” said Candice Hensley, NBCF senior manager of …
Fundecitrus researchers Silvio Lopes and Wellington Ivo Eduardo participated recently in the second edition of the Northeast Citrus Show in Aracaju, Brazil. Lopes gave a lecture on the two main Brazilian citrus diseases: citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) and citrus greening. “In the orchards of Bahia and Sergipe, greening has not yet been detected, but there are psyllids,” Lopes reported. He …
Nominations are being sought by Nov. 1 for potential inductees to the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Eligible nominees are distinguished leaders who have made significant contributions to the Florida citrus industry in any of the following fields: pioneering, harvesting, packing, processing, marketing, science or education. Nomination forms are available by contacting Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Executive Director Brenda …
By Rob Gilbert, ragilber@ufl.edu Last month I went to Lake Alfred for a look at the future of the citrus industry. You’ll like what I saw. BREEDING EFFORTS What I saw first was a lab focused on finding an HLB-tolerant tree that has doubled in size since my last visit to the Citrus Research and Education Center. Nian Wang can …
The 2024 Commercial Citrus Inventory for Florida shows total citrus acreage of 274,705 acres, down 17% from the 2023 annual survey. The net loss of 57,551 acres is 14,505 acres more than was lost the previous year. New plantings at 4,751 acres are down from 2023, when 6,203 acres were planted. The inventory was released Aug. 29 by the U.S. …
By Michael E. Rogers The 2024 Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo, hosted by AgNet Media, took place Aug. 21–22 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus educational sessions were held during the afternoon of the first day of the event and in the morning on the second day. …
A federal judge in Georgia on Aug. 26 blocked a federal rule allowing migrant farmworkers to join unions in 17 states. The ruling prevents the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) from enforcing the new rule. The rule would have prevented agricultural employers from retaliating against migrant workers with H-2A temporary work visas for joining labor unions and organizing against wage …
Algal spot, not frequently seen in Florida citrus groves before 2015, has become more severe in recent years, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences speakers reported Aug. 30. And the disease is likely to intensify as a problem with average temperatures increasing, said Megan Dewdney, associate professor of plant pathology at the Citrus Research and Education Center …
More than 350,000 acres of citrus and specialty crops were represented at this year’s Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo in Tampa, Florida, on Aug. 21–22. These acres represented growers from central and southern Florida, as well as producers from the cold-hardy citrus region of North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama. More than 150 exhibitors and sponsors covered the trade …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program awarded 54 grants and 524 sub-award projects totaling $72.9 million for fiscal year 2024. The following citrus projects were included in the funding. CALIFORNIA The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) received a grant for $448,742 for mitigating huanglongbing (HLB) in citrus using naturally-derived …
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Aug. 20 released its Final Herbicide Strategy to protect more than 900 federally endangered and threatened species from the potential impacts of herbicide. EPA will use the strategy to identify measures to reduce the amount of herbicide exposure to these species when it registers new herbicides and when it reevaluates registered herbicides. For …
Individual protective covers (IPCs), used primarily to protect young citrus trees from HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids, have become ubiquitous in Florida citrus groves in recent years. New University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows the trees grown under the IPCs also grow well for a few years after growers remove the bags. Growers typically remove …
Silvec Biologics announced that an RNA vector delivery product to combat HLB has progressed to the Full Science Review Phase of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Pesticide Regulation Improvement Act registration process. The product was developed in collaboration with Southern Gardens Citrus (a subsidiary of U. S. Sugar), the University of Florida (UF) and Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Silvec is …
Federal and state agriculture officials took several actions this month regarding Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantines in Texas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) have: BROWNSVILLE Establishment of the Brownsville quarantine is in response to the confirmed detection on July 26 of Mexfly larvae in citrus …
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a final rule that revises pre-harvest agricultural water provisions in the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule. It replaces the previous microbial quality criteria and testing requirements with systems-based, pre-harvest agricultural water assessments. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is committed to providing support for farms that …
The August episode of the All In For Citrus podcast features highlights from this year’s Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. The event included two citrus educational sessions that covered a wide range of topics, including HLB management, other pest management topics and new varieties. Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus …
By Jake Price The University of Georgia Owari satsuma pruning project is going to be very interesting. With extremely heavy fruit loads this year, I feel sure next year will be an “off” year for satsumas. It will be interesting to see what the fruit yields will be on the pruned trees compared to the unpruned trees. The six trees in this …
