EPA Approves KPHITE® RX Systemic Bactericide for HLB Control

Tacy CalliesBactericides

Florida-based Plant Food Systems announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the use of KPHITE® RX Systemic Bactericide for the control of HLB or citrus greening. The approval was granted based on research conducted by a panel of researchers demonstrating that the use of KPHITE® RX and Renew® RX reduces the effects of greening on citrus crops. Further field …

bactericides survey

Citrus Grove Renovation/Re-establishment Support Program

Tacy CalliesLegislative

Mike Sparks, executive vice president/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, issued the following report: “As you know, a big part of Mutual’s mission over the past three years was to try and uncover, create and support grower incentive programs to get more trees in the ground and rebuild our industry. Through the hard work of Commissioner Adam Putnam and his staff …

HLB tolerance

Southern Gardens Citrus to Host HLB Webinar

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Citrus Greening

Rick Kress, senior vice president of research commercialization for Southern Gardens Citrus will present a webinar titled “Can We Live Without Citrus?” on August 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT. Can you imagine what your store would look like if the orange juice section was suddenly empty or produce shelves were void of all oranges, grapefruit, lemons and …

2016 Citrus Expo Gun Safe Winner Announced

Tacy CalliesCitrus Expo

Congratulations to Caleb Shelfer, the winner of the John Deere gun safe giveaway at Citrus Expo 2016! Shelfer is with Joshua Citrus Inc. in Arcadia. This popular Citrus Expo tradition is made possible by sponsorship from Everglades Farm Equipment. Stephanie Capon, Miss Florida Citrus, drew the winning card. Gary Cooper, AgNet Media founder and president, announced the lucky name to …

Putnam: Private Citrus Forecast ‘a Kick in the Gut’

Tacy CalliesForecast

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam expresses pleasure at celebrating the 25th Citrus Expo and dismay at a private citrus forecast of 60.5 million boxes of Florida oranges next season. “Boy, what a kick in the gut that forecast was,” says Putnam, who is a citrus grower. He notes that post-bloom fruit drop no doubt played a role in the …

Post-Bloom Fruit Drop Survey

Tacy CalliesPests

A Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) Research Management Committee meeting was called on June 29, 2016, to discuss post-bloom fruit drop (PFD) caused by Colletotricum spp. in Florida. In this meeting, it was suggested that there is an opportunity to retrospectively investigate PFD management strategies from 2016 to determine if grower treatment programs led to variable results. A survey …

Citrus Growers Urged to Submit Comments to EPA on Simazine

Tacy CalliesHerbicides

The herbicide active ingredient simazine (Princep®) is currently undergoing re-registration review by EPA. A crucial step in that process is the public comment period. EPA is now accepting public comments. It would be very helpful to include comments from end-users in the Florida citrus community, where simazine is an important weed management tool. Click here for concise background information and …

BASF Announces Label for Priaxor® Fungicide for Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesCitrus

BASF announces that Priaxor® fungicide has received federal and Florida approval for use on all citrus varieties in Florida. Priaxor® fungicide is already being used in sugarcane and vegetables throughout the state and the United States. Priaxor® fungicide is a mixture of the active ingredient in Headline® fungicide and a new systemic fungicide Xemium®. Testing in Florida has shown the …

August Issue of Citrus Industry Features CEU Article

Tacy CalliesCEU

Earn one core continuing education unit (CEU) by reading the Citrus Industry CEU article, “What do pesticide formulations have to do with anything?” and passing the accompanying test. The article, authored by University of Florida’s Laurie Ann Hurner, is now available online and will appear in the August 2016 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. This CEU will be valid for …

Moving Murcott from the Top of the Tree to the Bottom

Tacy CalliesRootstocks

By Bill Castle and Luiz A.B.C. Vasconcellos Maybe it’s time to try a scion as a rootstock! Murcott is widely known as a scion variety, but it might be an interesting rootstock based on grower experience in Brazil as well as rootstock trial results and some commercial use in Florida. Mandarin rootstocks and their hybrids have generally good horticultural traits, especially …

Sneak Peek: August 2016 Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesCEU, Citrus Expo

The August issue of Citrus Industry magazine is coming soon! In this edition, growers will have the opportunity to earn one Core CEU by reading an article on pesticide formulations and taking the accompanying test. Other features offer new knowledge on citrus black spot and guidelines on how to evaluate HLB treatments in the grove. In addition, University of Florida …

Growers Learn About Diaprepes Root Weevil Control

Tacy CalliesPests

University of Florida professor Larry Duncan presented the latest research on using entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) to control Diaprepes root weevil (DRW) in citrus to approximately 30 growers on June 30 at the Hardee County Extension Service office in Wauchula. The combination of HLB with DRW intrusion has created a situation that will accelerate the destruction of most infected trees. DRW …

Orange Juice Market Challenges

Tacy CalliesEconomics

Allen Morris, vice president of sales and marketing for Blue Lake Citrus Products, discusses the decline of the U.S. orange juice market. “Since 2001, we’ve lost about half of the U.S. OJ market,” he says. “When we look at June of this year compared to June of last year, total OJ consumption declined by 4.8 percent even though prices declined …

Sneak Peek: July Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Irrigation

Citrus Industry subscribers will soon receive the July issue of the magazine. Featured in the cover story are young citrus leaders LeAnna and Aaron Himrod. Read all about the sister and brother’s accomplishments as they carry on the family tradition of staying in the citrus business. This issue also includes two water-management articles by University of Florida professor Kelly Morgan. …

Grower Participation Needed for Short Bactericide Survey

Tacy CalliesBactericides, Citrus Greening

It has been approximately two months since the crisis declaration was issued that allows Florida citrus growers to use bactericides to combat HLB. Three commercial products containing the two active ingredients, streptomycin and oxytetracycline, are available for use. Growers are implementing season-long plans for application of these materials to suppress HLB. A range of options exist for use of these …

Slow-Release Fertilizer in the Grove

Tacy CalliesCitrus Greening, Nutrition

Citrus Grower Sees Results with Slow-Release Fertilizer Pete Spyke, citrus grower and co-owner of The Orange Shop in Citra, hosted AgNet Media’s staff for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of his retail shop and gift-fruit shipping business. He detailed the history of the operation and led the staff on a tour of the packinghouse and test-plot grove. Spyke explained his use …