The third International Flavor Summit will take place on March 4–6, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) and the UF Center for Smell and Taste will once again co-host the event. The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Lake Buena Vista within walking …
Grower Wins Gun Safe at Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo
Although the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo is at a new location this year at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, many of the event’s traditions are alive and well. One of those traditions is the annual gun safe giveaway, sponsored by Everglades Equipment Group. Growers who preregister for the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo are eligible to win the …
Stelinski Elected Entomological Society Fellow
Lukasz Stelinski, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomology professor, has been elected a fellow of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) for 2023. He is one of six recognized for outstanding contributions to entomology via research, teaching, Extension, administration, military service or public engagement and science policy. Stelinski works at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research …
Alico Discusses Trunk Injection and Next Season
Alico, Inc. began treating citrus trees in January 2023 with an oxytetracycline (OTC) product via trunk injection as a citrus greening therapy. “Through June 30, 2023, we have treated over 35% of our trees with OTC, which is expected to mitigate some of the impacts of citrus greening and is expected to decrease the rate of fruit drop, as well …
Freeze to Cut Orange Production in Turkey
Turkey is forecast to produce 1.32 million metric tons (MMT) of fresh oranges in 2022–23, down from 1.75 MMT in 2021–22. The decrease is due to freezing weather conditions during the orange-blossoming period in March 2022. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) issued the updated forecast. The yield decrease in 2022–23 was heaviest in the Washington …
How to Access the All In For Citrus Podcast
By Ruth Borger The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and AgNet Media produce a monthly podcast called All In For Citrus. It features timely information useful to growers provided by UF/IFAS researchers and Extension agents. The podcast started in September 2018 and has steadily grown an audience. Episodes run from 30 to 45 minutes and …
Efforts Continue to Obtain Federal Funding for Hurricane Relief
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) reported that Congress was expected to receive a supplemental funding request from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in early August. “We worked with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to craft a letter urging (OMB) Director Shalanda Young to include relief for Florida’s farmers in their (OMB) request,” FCM Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer …
South Africa Mandarin Production to Grow
Tangerine/mandarin production in South Africa is forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) to grow by 6% in 2022–23 to 680,000 metric tons (MT). There is a growing trend to establish new orchards under netting, which has improved water efficiency, yields and the overall quality of mandarins in South Africa. INCREASED PLANTINGSThe South African tangerine/mandarin …
Return-on-Investment Potential of CUPS
By Ariel Singerman and Arnold W. Schumann To exclude the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri) vector of huanglongbing (HLB) and thereby produce disease-free healthy fruit, fresh citrus can be grown under protective screen structures. The expected economic benefit from adopting citrus under protective screen (CUPS) and excluding the ACP is increased yield and quality of fruit, which in turn, are …
Georgia Citrus Meeting Informs and Updates Growers
Meetings have become an integral part of the production process for Georgia citrus growers. The University of Georgia’s (UGA) most recent meeting allowed producers to hear from scientists about research pertaining to a growing industry in the region. Topics like changing weather patterns, rootstock research, HLB and the use of ethylene to degreen satsuma mandarins were presented during an Aug. …
Telling the World About Florida Citrus
A delegation from Japan’s Yamano & Associates recently visited Florida to meet with exporters and get an inside look at the future of the Florida citrus industry. That visit led Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) Chairman Steve Johnson to write the following commentary about the importance of Florida citrus worldwide: The company (Yamano) has been the Florida Department of Citrus’ (FDOC) …
Psyllids Reach Historically High Levels in Brazil
Populations of Asian citrus psyllids in the Brazilian states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais have hit historically high levels, Fundecitrus recently reported. Fundecitrus described the development as “alarming” because the psyllids spread citrus greening disease. Reversing the situation requires immediate and joint action among citrus growers in the same micro-region, Fundecitrus stated. It reported that in the first half …
Less EU Lemon and Grapefruit Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported that European Union (EU) production of lemons and grapefruit will decline in 2022–23 compared to the prior season. LEMONEU lemon production is forecast at almost 1.5 million metric tons (MMT), down 9.5% from 2021–22 due to estimated lower production in Spain, despite a rebound expected in Italy. EU lemon …
Hurricane Ian Assistance Deadline Extended
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the deadline for applications from agricultural producers for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address damages from Hurricane Ian in Florida. The application deadline has been extended to Sept. 25, 2023. The 28 approved counties for ECP signup are Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian …
Outlook for Brazil’s 2023–24 Orange Crop
The total Brazilian orange crop for 2023–24 is forecast at 410.6 million 40.8-kilogram boxes, a decrease of 1.1% from last season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported recently. The commercial area of the state of São Paulo and the western part of Minas Gerais should produce 309 million boxes, a decrease of 1.55% from last …
Hairy Approach May Get to the Root of HLB
Developing disease-resistant, high-quality improved crop varieties may seem like a “hairy” task, but Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists may have gotten to the root of the issue. A new biological technology that develops and multiplies disease-resistant citrus plants is under development by an AgriLife Research team led by Kranthi Mandadi. Mandadi is an associate professor at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research …
Developing Management for a New Snail Pest
By Lauren Diepenbrock A recently established snail species, Bulimulus bonariensis (also known as Bulimulus sporadicus), has been growing in population throughout the Southeast for the past few years. Growers first reported concerns about this snail in 2020 when they found the pest covering microjets and interfering with irrigation in the late spring/early summer (Figure 1). At the time, it was …
Drinking Orange Juice Lowers Dementia Risk
A recent study finds that moderate consumption of up to one cup per day of natural juices, such as 100% orange juice (OJ), lowers the risk of dementia. Inversely, consuming up to two cups per day of artificially sweetened beverages, and more than two cups per day of sugar-sweetened beverages, increases the risk of dementia. The study was published by …
Connect and Learn at the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo
By Jamie D. Burrow and Ruth Borger The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo has always been a time for the industry to gather, learn and reminiscence. During the Expo at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa on Aug. 16–17, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Extension booth is in a new location near the …
European Union OJ Production to Fall
European Union (EU) orange juice (OJ) production in 2022–23 is forecast at 64,421 metric tons (MT), down 20% from the previous season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. The volume of oranges destined for processing depends on overall orange production as well as the quality and size of the fruit destined for the fresh markets …