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News for citrus growers around the globe
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Aug. 20 revised the entry requirements for citrus fruit from the Districts of Riverina and Sunraysia in Australia. According to APHIS, the revision is necessary because both Riverina and Sunraysia no longer meet the requirements to be considered fruit fly-free areas for Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni). …
The September issue of Citrus Industry magazine largely focuses on two topics: nutrient management research and highlights from the return of the in-person Citrus Expo. NUTRITION RESEARCHSeveral features authored by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences authors share the latest strategies for improving nutrition of citrus trees. Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht discuss the newest technologies that …
Two reports that a Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) marketing executive presented recently show that social media and e-commerce have become major, effective tools for marketing citrus and other products. FDOC Director of Global Marketing Samantha Lane told the Florida Citrus Commission on Aug. 25 that the FDOC’s 2021-22 e-commerce campaign has so far driven more than $2.3 million in …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is expanding the production areas in Australia from which fresh citrus fruit may be shipped to the United States. It is also revising the conditions under which citrus from Australia may be imported. Currently, imports of fresh citrus fruit are allowed into the United States from the Riverina …
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) is making efforts to protect growers in the event Florida oranges don’t meet the minimum Brix requirement for not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice (OJ). FCM recently sent a formal request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking enforcement discretion to protect growers from the likely contingency that Florida’s 2021-22 orange crop may not meet FDA’s …
By Bill Castle The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) plant improvement team has long been engaged in field research to evaluate new scions and rootstocks. That effort continues and has involved trials on public and private property. While public sites are valuable, they are limited in number. Thus, most …
Disease management ranks high on the list of every Florida citrus grower’s agenda. Tools are available for producers to combat citrus diseases like greasy spot, melanose, scab, foot rot and citrus canker. But growers can never have enough tools, especially when disease resistance is a real possibility in the future. STOCKING THE TOOLBOX“To grow citrus trees and produce quality fruit …
Gladstone Land Corporation announced that it acquired two lemon and orange groves, totaling 617 acres, in South Florida for approximately $5.2 million. In connection with the acquisition, it entered into a 12-year leaseback agreement with the seller. The organization did not respond to a request for information about the seller or the location of the groves. “We are excited to …
Citrus acreage in Georgia continues to increase. While it didn’t double like it did in 2020, it still increased by 50%, says Jake Price, University of Georgia Lowndes County Extension coordinator. During a citrus growers’ summer update meeting on Aug. 25 in Lowndes County, Price said that Georgia’s citrus acreage has ballooned to 2,700 acres in 46 counties. The state …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In researching the biographies for an upcoming book on the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame members, I came across a digitized book by Google online that was written in 1887. It’s titled “Florida Facts Both Bright and Blue: A Guide Book to Intending Settlers, Tourists, and Investors From a Northerner’s Standpoint; Plain Unvarnished Truth, Without ‘Taffy’; …
Canker protocols in the European Union (EU) and difficulties transporting fruit to Asia are among problems hampering Florida’s fresh citrus exports, Dan Richey told participants during the recent virtual Packinghouse Day. Richey, of Riverfront Packing Company, is heavily involved in international trade issues on behalf of Florida’s citrus industry. The canker protocols that the EU has imposed for accepting Florida …
If you missed Citrus Expo Aug. 18-19 and the great production information available at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) booth, you can now access it online. Posters and videos that were available at the booth are now on the UF/IFAS Citrus Research website. Click on “Presentations,” then “Citrus Expo Presentations,” then “2021 Citrus Expo.” …
The Asiatic A strain of citrus canker was recently found in the Upper Gulf Coast area of Texas, posing a significant threat to the state’s commercial citrus production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Citrus Center are collaborating on surveys to detect the disease. They are also removing and properly …
Florida citrus growers have known for several years that individual protective covers (IPCs) do a good job of excluding HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids from young trees. “But those protective covers also protect from things like Diaprepes abbreviatus,” researcher Larry Duncan told the recent Citrus Expo audience. Duncan is a nematologist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …
Some people view drones as toys, but they can be dangerous. In fact, about 1,000 people per year are injured from using drones incorrectly. To address the potential peril, two University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are offering ways to keep people from getting hurt while using drones. Yiannis Ampatzidis of UF/IFAS uses unmanned aerial …
The Australian Tree Crop Map Dashboard won first place at the 2021 Esri User Conference. The conference is the world’s largest event dedicated to geographic information system technology. The tool is freely available and interactively summarizes the extent of avocado, citrus, macadamia and mango orchards, banana plantations and olive groves. It helps those industries make informed and timely decisions for biosecurity …
By Pete Spyke and Bill Castle Navel oranges are fairly tolerant of HLB, are popular and easy to sell, and offer a stable source of income that is only marginally related to worldwide supply and demand. Nevertheless, the Florida navel orange industry has experienced some tough times recently. Growers are questioning whether it is possible to grow navel oranges profitably …
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will stop the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on all food. It said it is taking the action to better protect human health, particularly that of children and farmworkers. In a final rule released in August, EPA is revoking all “tolerances” for chlorpyrifos. The tolerances establish an amount of a pesticide that …
The citrus black spot (CBS) quarantine in Florida was recently expanded in five Southwest Florida counties by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS added 37 sections in Charlotte County, 17 sections in Collier County, 45 sections in Glades County, 68 sections in Hendry County and 28 sections in Lee County to the quarantine …
Fred. G. Gmitter Jr. has been named a 2021 Fellow by the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS). Gmitter is a professor of horticulture and a citrus breeder at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Being recognized as a Fellow is the ASHS’ highest honor. Fellows …
