HLB-tolerant varieties

HLB-Tolerant Varieties Available

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Varieties

Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. (FFSP) has signed a licensing agreement with New Varieties Development and Management Corp. (NVDMC) to introduce new citrus varieties showing tolerance to HLB. The HLB-tolerant varieties covered by the agreement are: The collaboration also includes the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the Florida Department of Citrus. It aims to …

hlb

HLB Quarantine Expands in California

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Regulation

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) declared a citrus quarantine expansion in San Diego County’s Valley Center on March 26. The expansion occurred after detection of HLB disease in two citrus trees in residential neighborhoods in the Valley Center area during regular inspections.    HLB is a major threat to San Diego County’s $144 million annual citrus crop …

encouraged

Florida Citrus Grower Feeling Encouraged

Daniel CooperEvents, Florida, HLB Management

In a time when hope can be hard to find for the Florida citrus industry, one grower left last week’s Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute feeling encouraged. Whether it was meeting with fellow growers or learning about ongoing research that has long-term ramifications, Paul Koukos felt optimistic following the April 8 meeting. “It’s always good to get together with other growers, …

Florida

Florida Citrus Leader Hopeful Despite Alico’s Departure

Daniel CooperHLB Management

Florida Citrus Mutual Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Matt Joyner’s optimism about the industry’s future comes on the heels of a major citrus grower stepping out of production. Alico’s departure from the citrus industry earlier this year was a body blow to the industry, according to one industry expert. Joyner feels similarly but also believes there are extenuating …

short-term

Florida Citrus: Short-Term Survival vs. Long-Term Sustainability

Daniel CooperHLB Management

The future of Florida’s citrus industry rests on short-term survival while building a future that does not include citrus greening disease. Rick Dantzler, Citrus Research and Development Foundation chief operating officer, spoke at this year’s Georgia Citrus Association annual meeting in Tifton. He emphasized that while tools like oxytetracycline (OTC) provide growers relief, its long-term effectiveness is not guaranteed. Therefore, …

Optimism

OTC Injections Spark Optimism

Daniel CooperHLB Management

It can be hard to have hope if you are a farmer in today’s agricultural climate. It can be even harder to have optimism if you are a Florida citrus grower. Yet, Matt Joyner, Florida Citrus Mutual executive vice president and chief executive officer, has hope that the industry is trending upward even amid HLB and multiple hurricanes in previous …

HLB Quarantine Area Expanded in California Again

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Regulation

Federal and state officials have expanded the quarantine for huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening disease) in the Mission Viejo area of California’s Orange County. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, expanded the quarantine by 13.16 square miles. The expansion was in response …

HLB-resistant tree

Hope for an HLB-Resistant Tree

Daniel CooperHLB Management

Rick Dantzler, Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) chief operating officer, believes there is a future for Florida’s citrus industry. His optimistic outlook is based on approaches that researchers have implemented to help growers survive in the short term, such as oxytetracycline (OTC) trunk injection, and work toward the development of an HLB-resistant tree. Dantzler shared that hope during the …

campaign

‘Zero and 10’ Is Brazil Greening Campaign Motto

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management

“For the incidence to be zero, the control needs to be 10.” That’s the motto of the new Fundecitrus campaign to mitigate the incidence of citrus greening in Brazil. The campaign highlights the need for strict control of the greening-spreading psyllid, especially in new regions where citrus farming is advancing. Those regions include the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, …

psyllid

Now Is the Time to Knock Back Psyllid Populations

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Psyllids

Now is the time for Florida citrus growers to implement management tactics to control the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), the insect that vectors citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB). ACPs are currently in low populations across Florida’s citrus-producing region. That means growers should act now to protect their crop from the insect’s impact, says Chris Oswalt, University of Florida …

highlands

Highlands Citrus Banquet Highlights Trunk-Injection Research

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management

The Highlands County Citrus Growers Association hosted its annual banquet on March 6 in Sebring. The event drew a good crowd to catch up on the association’s activities. Two of the featured speakers during the event discussed alternative trunk-injection therapies to the current standard of oxytetracycline (OTC). Tanishka Aglave, a sophomore at Strawberry Crest High School, received the H. Robert …

emergency program

Emergency Program Expanded in California for HLB/ACP

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Regulation

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) recently announced the expansion in Orange County of an emergency program for HLB and the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) that spreads the disease. The expansion follows confirmation throughout January of the causative bacterial agent of HLB in plant tissue and/or ACP in Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Irvine, Mission Viejo, Orange, Santa …

otc

OTC Optimization Discussed in Podcast

Daniel CooperAll In For Citrus Podcast, HLB Management

Ute Albrecht, associate professor of plant physiology with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), joined the February All In For Citrus podcast to discuss the latest learnings in optimizing trunk injections of oxytetracycline (OTC) aimed at reducing HLB in trees. She shared what has been discovered over the past few years in terms of application …

short-term

What Georgia’s Citrus Industry Needs To Do To Succeed

Daniel CooperGeorgia, HLB Management

One Florida citrus industry leader is impressed with Georgia’s burgeoning industry. Rick Dantzler, Citrus Research and Development Foundation chief operating officer, believes Georgia’s industry can continue to grow as long as it manages citrus greening effectively. He stressed eradication when speaking about citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB), at the annual meeting on Feb. 25. “Georgia’s potential is bright …

zinc

Zinc Increases Yield by Reducing Fruit Drop

Daniel CooperFruit Drop, HLB Management, Nutrition

Different formulations of zinc applied by foliar spray increase fruit yield by reducing fruit drop in Hamlin and Valencia oranges, according to horticulturist Fernando Alferez. In some cases, he said, potassium enhances the beneficial effects of zinc. Alferez is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center …

HLB-affected trees

Frequent Irrigation Is Critical for HLB-Affected Trees

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Irrigation, Tip of the Week

By Tripti Vashisth and Mary Sutton HLB-affected trees have small and weak root systems. These trees often experience water and nutrient deficit. However, not all HLB-affected trees experience the same impact. Trees with severe HLB symptoms will have higher root loss and water deficit than trees with mild HLB symptoms. The water deficit exacerbates during spring, which is often the …

capture

Psyllid Capture Rate Decreases in Brazil

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management, Psyllids

The capture of greening-spreading psyllids in traps in the Brazilian Citrus Belt states of São Paulo (SP) and Triângulo Sudoeste Mineiro dropped 41% in 2024 compared to 2023. The data is part of a survey carried out biweekly by Fundecitrus and made available on the Psyllid Alert platform. The average capture recorded in 2023 was 2.23 psyllids per trap, compared …

Crop Transformation Center

Crop Transformation Center in Full Swing

Daniel CooperBreeding, HLB Management

By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP About 18 months ago, Matt Joyner, Kyle Story, Morgan McKenna Porter, Emery Smith and other Florida citrus leaders visited me in Gainesville. Together, we shaped an idea to accelerate our search for solutions to HLB. The idea is already reality. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Crop Transformation Center …

oxytetracycline

Lessons From Oxytetracycline Injection Trials

Daniel CooperHLB Management

By Ute Albrecht, Carol Tardivo, Gabriel Pugina, Larissa Nunes, Jasmine de Freitas and Gerardo Moreno Since the approval of oxytetracycline (OTC) injection to manage citrus greening (huanglongbing, HLB) in Florida, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant physiology team at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) has completed various research trials with multiple …

oxytetracycline

Oxytetracycline Efficacy Impacted by Exposure to Field Conditions

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Lauren Fessler Mathews, Sanju Kunwar, Ana Redondo and Ozgur Batuman Based on numerous research studies conducted by scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), it has been proven that injections of oxytetracycline (OTC) can help to alleviate symptoms caused by huanglongbing (HLB) disease. This treatment is now widely practiced and crucial for preventing …