climate

Kaolin Particle Films for Citrus Under HLB Pressure

Tacy Callies HLB Management

Managing the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) that spreads citrus greening disease (HLB) has become a crucial task at the forefront of much research. One management option that has proven to reduce ACP populations while increasing tree growth and yield is particle film. During the 2020 virtual Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences …

hlb

Oak Leaf Extracts Display Curative Effects Against HLB

Tacy Callies HLB Management

As demand increases for a cure to huanglongbing (HLB), experts are studying the most effective ways to control the damaging citrus disease. A research project funded by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is focusing on the effects of oak leaf extracts on CLas-infected citrus trees. CLas (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) is the bacteria the causes …

citrus

New Resource to Help Fight Citrus Greening

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening

If information is power, Florida citrus growers have a new asset in their fight against citrus greening disease. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) statewide citrus program launched a major revision of a website, providing instant access to a portfolio of information valuable to growers. The http://citrusresearch.ifas.ufl.edu/ website is now easier to navigate and includes …

Growers Urged to Continue HLB Best Practices

Len Wilcox California Corner, HLB Management

The University of California, Riverside (UCR) recently released information regarding a promising new treatment for huanglongbing (HLB) and the Asian citrus psyllid that “effectively kills the bacterium causing the disease with a naturally occurring molecule found in wild citrus relatives.” While this news has exciting potential, UCR and California Department of Food and Agriculture scientists agree that growers should continue …

New Book on the Asian Citrus Psyllid and HLB

Ernie Neff HLB Management, Psyllids

A book about the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and huanglongbing (HLB), edited by Jawwad Qureshi and the late Phil Stansly, was recently published by the Center for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI). Qureshi is an entomologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS); Stansly was also a UF/IFAS entomologist. The book is Asian Citrus Psyllid: …

Tools to Protect Young Trees From HLB Being Studied

Tacy Callies HLB Management

While citrus growers continue to look for the best practices to fight the deadly huanglongbing (HLB) disease, researchers are taking an integrated approach at protecting young trees by using tools growers already have access to. “In Florida and pretty much every citrus-producing area, we’ve been doing a lot of replanting or resets,” says Lauren Diepenbrock, an assistant professor of entomology …

HLB Update for North Florida, South Georgia

Ernie Neff Citrus Greening

Since 2018, there have been no huanglongbing (HLB) finds in commercial citrus groves in North Florida, and there have still been no disease detections in Georgia groves. In North Florida, HLB was detected in groves in Live Oak in Suwanee County and Perry in Taylor County in 2018, reported Xavier Martini, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …

HLB Brings Nutrition Guideline Changes

Ernie Neff HLB Management, Nutrition

An updated nutrition guide from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) provides new information for properly fertilizing HLB-impacted trees. Nutrition of Florida Citrus Trees, 3rd Edition was updated by researchers Kelly Morgan and Davie Kadyampakeni. Morgan, director of the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, says growers have been requesting an update of the guide …

Video in Spanish on HLB Best Practices

Len Wilcox California Corner, HLB Management

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), through its Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program, has developed a mobile-friendly, Spanish-language training video. It’s for use by field crew supervisors and farm labor contractors prior to harvest. The new tool trains industry managers and workers, including field crews, with best practices to prevent the spread of the Asian citrus psyllid …

HLB a Target of MIT Research

Ernie Neff HLB Management, Research

Citrus, olives and bananas are under threat in many areas due to diseases that affect plants’ circulatory systems and that cannot be treated by applying pesticides. Huanglongbing (HLB) is the disease inflicting heavy damage on citrus in Florida and many other parts of the world. These diseases are difficult to detect early and to treat, given the lack of precision …

HLB Research Uses Psyllid Neuropeptides

Ernie Neff HLB Management, Research

Researchers with several organizations are in the early stages of investigating the use of neuropeptides found in Asian citrus psyllids as the source for biocontrols for HLB disease. The researchers are with the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) at Cornell University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and the University of Washington. The research team is led by …

New Citrus Greening Treatment Shows Promise

Tacy Callies Citrus Greening, Industry News Release, Research

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers have discovered another possible solution to the plague of citrus greening that is impacting Florida’s citrus groves. This new information adds to the growing portfolio of knowledge that UF/IFAS scientists are amassing to fight the disease. Led by UF/IFAS microbiology and cell science professor Claudio Gonzalez, a team of plant …

nutrition

Updated Citrus Nutrition Guide Helps Growers Manage Greening

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, Industry News Release

Florida citrus growers hit hard by citrus greening can benefit from University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) expertise in an updated book — the third edition of the Nutrition of Florida Citrus Trees. Greening, known scientifically as huanglongbing (HLB), has caused significant damage to Florida’s citrus industry. UF/IFAS scientists and Extension faculty have updated the guide …

How Arizona Has Avoided HLB

Ernie Neff HLB Management

Although the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is found in Arizona at very low levels, the devastating huanglongbing (HLB) disease, also known as citrus greening, is not. John Caravetta, associate director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA), discussed successful efforts to control the psyllid and prevent HLB from infecting orchards. Caravetta reported that “AZDA is conducting trapping for ACP in …

New HLB Find in California

Len Wilcox California Corner, HLB Management

A new finding of huanglongbing (HLB) has been reported in a residential citrus tree in the city of San Bernardino, California. This is the first confirmed find of the citrus disease in the city and follows the recent detections of several HLB-positive trees located in Colton, Montclair and Ontario. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is working with …

citrus greening

Georgia Citrus Groves at Risk

Ernie Neff HLB Management

Loundes County University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension Coordinator Jake Price recently provided huanglongbing (HLB) disease information and advice to the state’s citrus growers. “Greening (another name for HLB) is the big gorilla in the room,” said Price, who has helped producers with the growth of citrus in Lowndes County and surrounding areas. Georgia’s citrus industry launched in 2013 and …

irrigation

Irrigation Management Advice for HLB Trees

Tacy Callies HLB Management, Irrigation

Water is a limiting factor in Florida citrus production during the majority of the year. Florida citrus trees may require irrigation throughout the year due to the low water-holding capacity of sandy soils and the warm subtropical climate with distinct drought periods during the spring.  Davie Kadyampakeni, assistant professor of soil and water sciences at the University of Florida Institute …

HLB and Citrus Root Health

Ernie Neff HLB Management, Root health

“We’re not going to have a silver bullet” for HLB, says Lorenzo Rossi, an assistant professor at the Indian River Research and Education Center. Instead, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) root biologist says that researchers are trying to keep citrus producing profitably. Rossi described some of his research efforts that focus on root health …

researchers

Even in Times of Crisis, Citrus Research Continues

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, Industry News Release, Research

(UF/IFAS) —The coronavirus has upended daily routines, events and schedules. From work to schools to shopping, every aspect of life changed overnight and continues to change with each passing day. Even with a global pandemic, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus researchers plow forward in their quest to find answers to fighting the devastating disease …

acp

Advice for Psyllid/HLB Control

Ernie Neff HLB Management, Psyllids

Even with the virtually 100 percent level of HLB infection found in Florida citrus trees, reducing Asian citrus psyllids improves tree health and yield, entomologist Lukasz Stelinski says. Stelinski is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center.   Stelinski reports that trials the late UF/IFAS researcher Phil Stansly …