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News for citrus growers around the globe
Continuing low orange production in Florida has left Florida processors relying significantly on imports to meet the ongoing demand for orange juice (OJ), the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) was told in June. Economist Marisa Zansler told the FCC that world juice availability is expected to decrease in the 2024–25 season, influenced by the decline in Brazilian production and reduced inventory …
Citrus farming worldwidedelivers an annual 140 million tons of oranges, tangerines and other citrus fruits, but much of the postharvest crop is lost before it reaches the market. “Up to 30% of citrus fruit is lost to decay and disease following harvesting,” says food scientist Yang Shan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and head of the Dongting …
Brazil’s Harvest+ project coordinator, Efraim Albrecht, recently traveled to Europe in search of mechanized and semi-mechanized solutions to improve citrus harvesting in Brazil. Harvest+ seeks to establish partnerships with companies that develop equipment and technologies that serve Brazilian orchards. It also seeks to contact universities and research centers that have innovative projects. In Seville, Spain, Move Agro’s coordinator and process …
Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane researchers in June maintained their April forecast for an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season in 2024. The maintained forecast for the 2024 season, with the average for 1991-2020 in parentheses, is: The researchers also maintained the probabilities for at least one major hurricane landfall on each of the following coastal areas: “This forecast is of …
Jianhua Mo, a research entomologist with Australia’s New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) authored an article about the release of parasitic wasps for the control of citrus gall wasps (CGW). Edited excerpts follow: CGW is a pest of major concern in the southern citrus-growing regions of the Riverina, Sunraysia and Riverland. With the exception of the adult …
The June 11 federal citrus crop forecast for 2023-24 shows mostly slight changes for all Florida varieties and no production changes in other states. ORANGES The Florida all-orange forecast rose less than 1% from May, or 60,000 boxes, to 17.86 million boxes. That exceeds 2022-23 production of 15.82 million boxes but is far below 2021-22 production of 41.2 million boxes. …
Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions about optimizing trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: Are there any advantages or disadvantages to making a ReMedium TI® Injection in the rootstock or the scion? Tom Johnson: To start, agronomically there is really no difference in a ReMedium TI® injection into the rootstock or the …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) weed scientist Ramdas Kanissery offered numerous tips and observations for improving herbicide efficiency at this spring’s Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. They included: In addition to discussing herbicides, Kanissery reported that cover cropping, an emergent practice in Florida citrus production, may contribute to longer-term weed management in row middles. Read more …
Back in the early days of the HLB fight, it was observed that what is going on underground in citrus tree root systems is just as important as what is happening aboveground. In 2013, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service researchers published that 27% to 40% root loss due …
Orange peels may hold a key to better cardiovascular health, new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)-led research shows. Some gut bacteria help develop cardiovascular disease. When they feed on certain nutrients during digestion, gut bacteria produce trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Levels of TMAO can help predict future cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at the Cleveland Clinic. …
By Jawwad Qureshi The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Figure 1) continues to feed on citrus trees infected with citrus greening and spread the disease to newly planted young trees. Therefore, it is not possible to produce a healthy citrus tree in an environment where citrus greening is endemic. Only the citrus under protective screen (CUPS, Figure 2) system allows the …
By Tom Spreen When citrus greening was first discovered in Florida, it did not have a profound impact on production. The big news at that time was the multiple hurricanes that had crossed Florida in 2004 and 2005. The hurricanes served to spread citrus canker so sufficiently that the state of Florida was forced to abandon its efforts to eradicate …
Through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (USDA FSA) will cover up to 75% of organic certification costs at a maximum of $750 per certification category. FSA is now accepting applications. The program provides cost-share assistance to producers and handlers of organic agricultural commodities for expenses incurred obtaining or maintaining organic …
An orange, to most people, is simply a piece of fruit. But to food scientist Yang Shan, it is much more. The discarded pith, pips, skin and membranes of citrus fruits are untapped reservoirs of useful compounds. “Our goal is to make full use of the citrus fruit,” says Shan, head of the academic committee of the Hunan Academy of …
“The satsuma mandarin industry in Georgia is currently experiencing tremendous growth and economic success, but it also faces many challenges.” That quote from the recent University of Georgia (UGA) Extension publication, Maximizing the Value of Georgia-Grown Satsumas Through Food Innovation, summarizes the state’s citrus industry that is composed primarily of satsuma mandarins. TOO MUCH FRESH FRUIT? The publication by Emma …
According to Rick Dantzler, Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) chief operating officer, the past seven days have been busy for CRDF’s committees. First, the Plant Improvement Committee, chaired by grower Joby Sherrod, reviewed several projects and ideas seeking HLB resistance in detail. A three-year plan for the plant improvement programs for University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …
South Africa’s Western Cape Department of Agriculture has given the country’s Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) 2 million rands (approximately $109,000) to support the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) program to suppress false codling moth. False codling moth is a phytosanitary pest affecting export crops such as citrus, table grapes and stone fruit. The support from the provincial government will help expand …
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the availability of $6.5 million in grants to help organizations improve delivery of safe and sanitary housing solutions for migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents. Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) will award approximately eight grants. They will go to organizations that propose project designs …
Huanglongbing (HLB) is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), which has been challenging to culture outside its host because of its intracellular nature and genome reduction. Due to these challenges, in-depth research on effective cultivation methods for CLas is essential to develop better control strategies. Such in-depth research was conducted by a team from the U.S. Department of …
Agriculture officials and researchers in California have drastically reduced populations of HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) through biocontrol measures. Now they’re working on ways to control other insects that are intent on protecting the ACP — Argentine ants. Mark Hoddle, professor of Extension in biological control at the University of California, Riverside, Department of Entomology, explained the ACP/Argentine ant dynamics …
