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News for citrus growers around the globe
Citrus utilized production for the 2023–24 season in the United States (U. S.) totaled 5.24 million tons, up 6% from the previous season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) reported. California accounted for 79% of total U.S. citrus production, Florida totaled 17%, while Texas and Arizona produced the remaining 4%. The value of the 2023–24 U.S. …
A portion of California’s Orange County has been placed under quarantine for the Oriental fruit fly. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) reported the quarantine Nov. 6. It followed the detection of eight flies in and around the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove. The quarantine zone measures 87 square miles. It is bordered on the north …
In 2023, at the request of Georgia citrus producers, the Georgia Agricultural Citrus Commission (Georgia Citrus Commission) was created under the Georgia Commodity Promotion Act. Under the Commodity Promotion Act, the Georgia Citrus Commission is allowed to create a marketing order that allows for collection of an assessment on marketed fruit. This marketing order was voted on and approved by …
By Manjul Dutt, Sheetal Ramekar and Gary England The grapefruit was created by chance from a cross between a pummelo and a sweet orange. It was first discovered in Barbados in the 18th century. All the commercially sold grapefruits today trace their roots back to the Duncan variety of grapefruit. Cultivars existing today were developed through natural and induced mutations …
By Peter Chaires Many have been following the development of the Georgia citrus industry with great interest and curiosity. Though satsuma remains the dominant fresh citrus crop, other varieties are in varying stages of trial and adoption. The University of Georgia (UGA) has been supporting citrus growers in this process for more than a decade. Wayne Hanna, though his appointment …
Florida Citrus Mutual hosted a grower informational meeting on Nov. 13 at Kenny and Cookie Sanders’ Grove House in Zolfo Springs. About 80 citrus growers gathered for the event to hear more about the latest research on trunk-injection therapy and discuss recovery efforts after Hurricane Milton. Ute Albrecht, associate professor of plant physiology with the University of Florida Institute of …
The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) in October approved a 2024–25 operating budget for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) and heard about marketing programs the budget will fund. The FCC also approved citrus varieties to be included in the 2024 Program for Expedited Propagation. BUDGET AND ASSESSMENT RATES The FCC approved a $21.75 million operating budget for the FDOC. It …
Leaders in the cold-hardy citrus region have long advocated for growers to diversify their crop portfolios. Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association, has wanted citrus producers in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama to plant alternatives to satsuma mandarins, which has been the predominant citrus type produced in the region. Diversification helps extend the harvest season. …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center recently hosted a field day showcasing its Millennium Block citrus grove. The field day went on despite the grove being impacted by a tornado associated with Hurricane Milton in October. The Millennium Block is one of the largest experimental trials examining fresh fruit …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) colleagues have acknowledged Lukas Hallman for his distinguished achievements and contributions as a graduate student. Hallman completed master’s and doctoral degrees in horticultural sciences in the last six years as a UF/IFAS graduate research assistant. He worked in Associate Professor Lorenzo Rossi’s Plant Root Biology Laboratory at the Indian River …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus researcher Fernando Alferez recently visited Brazil’s Fundecitrus, as well as orchards and experiments in Brazil’s citrus region. Alferez, an associate professor of horticulture at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, was accompanied by researchers from Fundecitrus and Embrapa Cassava & Fruits. The project coordinator of Florida’s Citrus Research …
Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions about optimizing trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: How is ReMedium TI® performing in the fight against citrus greening? Tom Johnson: The reported overall performance of ReMedium TI® has been stellar over the last two years. The reports from the second year of injections are just …
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has confirmed the detection of the citrus plant disease huanglongbing (HLB) in inactive citrus acreage in the city of Yorba Linda, Orange County. The detections mark the first time HLB has been confirmed in plant samples on non-residential, non-nursery citrus acreage. The detection site, which is not currently operational or being cultivated …
Regular rains and mild weather in Brazil’s Citrus Belt of São Paulo and Triângulo Mineiro in late October brought relief for trees affected by prior lack of rain and high temperatures. The better weather may improve the quality of fruit that is still on the trees. But even with the return of rainfall, the 2024–25 orange crop has presented low …
Brazilian citrus farming faces several challenges, including the shortage of labor to harvest the fruit and the efficiency and performance of the harvesters’ work. The Harvest+ project, created by Fundecitrus, seeks to improve the harvest process through improvements in manual harvesting and promoting mechanized and semi-mechanized solutions. One result achieved by the project is a 7% increase in the daily …
Agricultural officials recently expanded the areas in California quarantined for citrus greening disease [also known as huanglongbing (HLB)], which is spread by Asian citrus psyllids. The quarantined area in Orange and Riverside counties was increased by a total of approximately 31 square miles. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) in cooperation with the …
By Fernando Alferez and Divya Aryal Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of plant growth regulators with several effects on plant growth and development. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) work in the last few years has shown that BR treatments may influence internal maturity in Hamlin sweet orange if performed at the right time. Research has …
Trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) has been the center of attention in Florida citrus for the past two years since the Environmental Protection Agency registered formulations of the material for use. But experience with antibiotics in Florida citrus is not new. That was part of the message Lukasz Stelinski delivered to attendees of the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo in …
Li Ningxian, a fruit grower in China’s Jiangxi province, discovered in 2004 that some of his Nanfeng oranges matured about six weeks earlier than usual. Although he attempted to propagate these early-maturing branches, the variety proved unstable with sugar content. Ningxian sought help from YI Hualin, a professor at Huazhong Agricultural University College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences, who specializes …
The benefits of implementing citrus under protective screen (CUPS) could be major for growers in the cold-hardy region. But they first must overcome the major limiting factor associated with the system — its cost. Arnold Schumann, a professor of soil fertility and water quality at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education …
