hlb

Discovery Speeds Push for HLB-Tolerant Citrus

Daniel Cooper Breeding, Orange Juice, Research

It’s one thing for a hybrid citrus tree to tolerate HLB, but quite another thing for it to produce orange-like fruit that makes delicious orange juice (OJ). That holy grail of traits could be nearer, thanks to a team of U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientists. …

Citrus Showcase

Citrus Showcase Coming to California

Daniel Cooper California Corner, Events

California Citrus Mutual (CCM) will host the 2024 Citrus Showcase on March 14 at the Visalia Convention Center in Visalia, California. The event will feature informational workshops, continuing education unit-approved courses, a trade show and an industry luncheon. The luncheon keynote speaker will be California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross.  “We are extremely pleased to have a …

Citrus Achievement Award

Seeking Nominations for the Citrus Achievement Award

Daniel Cooper Awards

Since 2001, the Citrus Achievement Award honor has grown into the gold standard of industry recognition for those who have made and continue to make a significant impact within and even beyond the citrus community. This year, the award is moving to Citrus Industry magazine to keep the tradition thriving for many years to come. The Citrus Achievement Award is …

Miss Florida Citrus

Scheuerer Crowned Miss Florida Citrus

Daniel Cooper Miss Florida Citrus

Alana Scheuerer was crowned the 2024 Miss Florida Citrus on March 2 in Winter Haven. She was chosen during the Miss Florida Citrus and Miss Winter Haven Program at Nora Mayo Hall in Winter Haven. The event was the program’s 100th anniversary.  Scheuerer, 26, of Coral Springs, has a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management and tourism and a master’s degree …

hlb

HLB Management Different for North Florida Citrus

Daniel Cooper Cold Hardy, HLB Management

Living with huanglongbing (HLB) disease (citrus greening) is a much different process for citrus growers than protecting their crop from it. Growers in the cold-hardy citrus region are currently trying to keep the devastating disease out of their area. Industry experts like Michael Rogers, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center director, are …

fertilization

Greening Study: Extra Fertilization Doesn’t Increase Yield

Daniel Cooper Brazil, HLB Management, Nutrition

A study carried out by Brazil’s Fundecitrus in partnership with the Agronomic Institute (IAC) showed that additional fertilization of orchards had no effect on increasing the production of trees with citrus greening. The research was conducted in well-nourished adult orchards with a low incidence of greening. Results were published in January in the journal PhytoFrontiers of the American Society of …

crdf

Three Key Meetings for CRDF

Daniel Cooper CRDF

The February board meeting of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) covered a lot of ground according to Rick Dantzler, the foundation’s chief operating officer. “We had a big day on the day of the board meeting. There were three meetings: 1) our monthly board meeting; 2) a research summit with citrus organization leaders, the CRDF board and CRDF …

florida citrus show

The Florida Citrus Show Is a Month Away!

Daniel Cooper Events, FCS24

Citrus and specialty crop growers are invited to gather on April 3 in Fort Pierce at the Florida Citrus Show. The event takes place at the Indian River Research and Education Center and the U.S Horticultural Research Laboratory. The trade show and breakfast begin at 8:00 a.m. Take the time to network with exhibitors before the general session begins at …

hlb

Irrigation During the Dry Season to Increase Yield of HLB Trees

Daniel Cooper Irrigation, Tip of the Week

By Tripti Vashisth and Mary Sutton Prolonged water deficits can negatively impact flowering, fruit growth, crop load and fruit quality. Unfortunately, HLB-affected trees are more susceptible to water deficits than healthy trees due to extensive root loss. Observing HLB-affected trees throughout the dry season showed that severely symptomatic trees consistently had lower leaf water potential than mildly symptomatic trees. This …

tool

New Tool Will Help Brazilian Growers Manage Psyllids

Daniel Cooper Brazil, HLB Management, Psyllids

Fundecitrus has launched Evaluate Psyllid, a tool that will help citrus growers choose insecticides to manage the pest that spreads citrus greening disease. Evaluate Psyllid will make available the results of insecticide efficacy experiments on field psyllid populations in different regions of Brazil’s citrus belt. The insecticide efficacy data will be constantly updated as experiments are carried out. It will …

lennon

Surviving to Fight Another Day

Daniel Cooper Florida, HLB Management

Bill Lennon is working with researchers to learn more about survivor trees that are standing up to HLB. Bill Lennon is a fifth-generation citrus grower who can recall the industry’s glory days when Central Florida had hundreds of thousands of citrus acres before the 1980s freezes pushed production southward in the state. But he’s remained dedicated to the area, managing …

Florida Southern College

Florida Southern College Has New Major

Daniel Cooper Education, Florida

Florida Southern College (FSC) in Lakeland will offer a new horticulture, land and resource management major in August for incoming students and current students who want to add a major or switch majors. It consists of 28 credit hours (without general education courses). Sixteen of those hours come from horticulture science, and the rest are business oriented with a focus …

production

Turkish Tangerine Production to Soar

Daniel Cooper Crop Forecast, International

Tangerine production in 2023–24 in Türkiye (previously known as Turkey) is forecast to increase 55% to 2.88 million metric tons (MMT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). The huge increase is due to favorable spring rains and temperature conditions during blossoming in March 2023. The yield in Türkiye’s Aegean region is expected to increase …

texas

New and Expanded Canker Quarantines in Texas

Daniel Cooper Diseases, Regulation, Texas

Federal and Texas agriculture officials announced they are establishing four new quarantine areas for citrus canker in Brazoria and Harris counties, Texas. They are also expanding three existing quarantine areas for citrus canker in Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston and Harris counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture …

fertilization

PIECES OF THE PAST: Reflections on Fertilization

Daniel Cooper Nutrition, Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In his book, “The Cultivation of Citrus Fruits,” first published in 1926 by The MacMillan Company, H. Harold Hume covers a variety of topics, including the use of fertilizers and the different needs of young trees versus bearing trees. Following are insightful excerpts: “Young adult trees differ in their fertilizer requirements. Young trees use their food …

Georgia Citrus

Georgia Citrus Industry ‘Looking Forward’

Daniel Cooper Events, Georgia

The citrus industry has found footing in Georgia and needs continued support as this promising industry marches toward the future. Events like the Georgia Citrus Association annual meeting on Feb. 27 at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center provided information tailored to protecting growers’ investments. “One of the things we wanted to do differently this year is remind …

texas citrus

After Recent Challenges, Texas Citrus Looking Up

Daniel Cooper Production, Texas

The Texas citrus industry has faced numerous challenges in recent years, including Hurricane Hanna in 2020, winter storm Uri in early 2021 and droughts in both 2022 and 2023. After Uri, Texas grapefruit production was at about 1.6 million boxes for the 2021–22 season, down 33% from the previous year. Orange production was about 400,000 boxes, down 62%. Juan Anciso, Texas …

Switzerland

Studying Citrus Greening in Switzerland

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, HLB Management, Research

Lukas Hallman is about to embark on an internship in Switzerland to investigate the vascular system of trees affected by citrus greening. Hallman is in his final year of a Ph.D. program in horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center. He is under the guidance of Lorenzo …

long

Long-Term U.S. Production Projections

Daniel Cooper Crop Forecast

Total U.S. citrus production levels are projected to continue their long-term decline before stabilizing through 2033, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of the Chief Economist recently reported. The trend is attributed to declining orange and grapefruit production alongside increasing production of lemons and tangerines. In the report, USDA Agricultural Projections to 2033, total U.S. citrus production is projected …

march

Sneak Peek: March 2024 Citrus Industry

Daniel Cooper HLB Management, Sneak Peek, Soil Health

The March issue of Citrus Industry magazine is centered on tree and soil health. On the cover is Florida citrus grower Bill Lennon of Lennon’s Grove Service. The March cover story details Lennon’s efforts to learn more about survivor trees in his groves that are standing up to HLB. He is working with University of Florida Institute of Food and …