guide

Guide Helps Brazilian Growers Evaluate Greening Products

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management

Brazil’s Fundecitrus has prepared and released the free Guide for Citrus Growers: Evaluation of Products to Reduce Damage Caused by Greening. The guide is aimed at growers, researchers and professionals working in citrus farming. The guide brings together suggestions for a thorough assessment in the orchard, allowing citrus growers and technicians to analyze the effectiveness of available chemical products and …

suggestions

Trunk-Injection Suggestions

Daniel CooperHLB Management

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professors Ute Albrecht, Ozgur Batuman and Megan Dewdney recently wrote Suggested Use Pattern of Injectable Antimicrobials for Huanglongbing (HLB) Management (April 2024). They emphasized that the document is not an official UF/IFAS recommendation but is based on the labels for antimicrobial products ReMedium and Rectify. Some key suggestions in …

panel

Panel Discussions Highlight Florida Citrus Show Seminars

Daniel CooperBreeding, HLB Management

A pair of panel discussions during the citrus seminars at the Florida Citrus Show gave growers the opportunity to engage with experts on top-of-mind topics. BREEDER RECOMMENDATIONS The citrus seminar program started with a discussion among citrus breeders moderated by Flavia Zambon, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor at the Indian River Research and …

may

Sneak Peek: May 2024 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperHLB Management, hurricane, Sneak Peek

Inside the May issue of Citrus Industry magazine, you’ll find photos and coverage from the Florida Citrus Show. The annual grower-focused event was held in Fort Pierce on April 3. A high point of the day was the outdoor trade show of exhibitors serving an array of tailgate-style foods to attendees. Educational programs included a general session on current agricultural …

Grove First

Grove First Project Seeks More Grower Cooperators

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Research

The Grove First project plans to expand next year and is seeking additional growers as cooperators. The project tests molecules directly in the field for their ability to treat HLB via trunk injection. The Grove First project differs from the common practice of starting HLB research in the laboratory, then moving to the greenhouse to be confirmed before going into …

climate

Kaolin and Climate Impacts on HLB Addressed

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management

The impacts of kaolin and climate on HLB in Brazil were among topics addressed by researchers from Brazil’s Fundecitrus during the recent International Research Conference on HLB in Riverside, California. HLB is also known as citrus greening. Researcher Marcelo Miranda discussed results of a study on the use of processed kaolin in low doses to reduce the HLB-spreading psyllid population …

hlb

Rigorous HLB Control Works at Brazilian Farm

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management

Fabrício Eustáquio Lanza, research coordinator at Brazil’s Cambuhy Agricola, recently told how his company has kept HLB at low and economically acceptable incidence levels. His presentation at the recent International Research Conference on HLB was based on a report he co-authored with Alexandre Tachibana, Ivan Brandimarte, Antonio Juliano Ayres and Renato Beozzo Bassanezi. The report follows: MANAGEMENT MEASURES Huanglongbing (HLB), …

grower

Grower Panel: OTC a Net Positive So Far

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management

Florida Citrus Mutual recently hosted a roundtable discussion about the performance of trunk-injection therapies as growers are making their second round of applications. The grower participants included Jim Snively, Southern Gardens Citrus; Glenn Beck, Beck Bros. Citrus and Wes Soria, Sorrells Citrus. University of Florida scientist Ute Albrecht also joined the panel to provide a research update. Rick Dantzler, chief …

particle films

Protect Trees With Particle Films

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Tip of the Week, Weather

By Christopher Vincent Particle film is a useful tool to take the edge off stress to citrus trees caused by weather and HLB. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research over the past several years shows moderate concentrations of kaolin particle films cause trees to grow faster, suffer less water loss and keep leaves cooler, even …

commercial

University of Georgia Lab Offers HLB Testing

Daniel CooperGeorgia, HLB Management

The University of Georgia’s (UGA) Plant Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (MDL) on the Tifton campus is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified lab performing huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening) testing. It offers the advanced test to commercial growers, homeowners, nurseries, Extension and research personnel and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The molecular test per sample costs $80. Candidatus Liberibacter species associated with HLB …

areas

HLB Quarantine Areas Expanded in California

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Regulation

Federal and state agriculture officials have expanded the areas quarantined for huanglongbing (HLB; also known as citrus greening) in California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).  APHIS is adding portions of Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura counties …

tolerant

Growers Must Settle for HLB-Tolerant Trees While Waiting for Resistance

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management, Varieties

The dream of citrus varieties being totally resistant to huanglongbing (HLB) disease (citrus greening) is still a distant reality for Florida growers. For now, they must depend on tolerant varieties to lessen the disease’s impact, which is widespread throughout most of the state. Michael Rogers, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center …

Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute

Register for the 2024 Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management, Tip of the Week

Citrus greening or huanglongbing (HLB) continues to impact all citrus production areas of Florida. The 2024 Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute is an opportunity for Florida citrus growers to come together to learn about effective management of HLB and other challenging pests and diseases affecting the industry. Topics this year include horticultural management of HLB, citrus nutrient management and management of …

growers

Highlands Growers Learn More About Crop Transformation Center

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management

The Highlands County Citrus Growers Association hosted its annual meeting and banquet in early March in Sebring, Florida. The event was well attended. Growers were mostly in good spirits, hoping that trunk-injection therapy will be the bridge to the next breakthrough to return citrus production and quality to viable levels. Most believe the ultimate HLB solution will come in the …

mexican

Mexican Organic Orchards Offer Better Psyllid Control

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Mexico, Organic

A wider diversity of weeds and insects in organic Mexican citrus orchards compared to conventional orchards aids in control of the HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllid (ACP/Diaphorina citri), a Mexican scientist reported recently. HLB is also known as citrus greening disease.  “In the organic orchard, there are almost double the species of weeds compared to the conventional orchard,” Carlos Castillejos Cruz …

hlb

HLB Could End Georgia’s Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperGeorgia, HLB Management

One California citrus leader believes Georgia should respond more aggressively to huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening) for the sake of the industry’s future in the state. Roger Smith, fourth-generation citrus producer and executive of AC Foods, spoke during the recent Georgia Citrus Association meeting in Tifton. He discussed the disease that devastated citrus production in Florida and could …

study

HLB Management Different for North Florida Citrus

Daniel CooperCold Hardy, HLB Management

Living with huanglongbing (HLB) disease (citrus greening) is a much different process for citrus growers than protecting their crop from it. Growers in the cold-hardy citrus region are currently trying to keep the devastating disease out of their area. Industry experts like Michael Rogers, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center director, are …

fertilization

Greening Study: Extra Fertilization Doesn’t Increase Yield

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management, Nutrition

A study carried out by Brazil’s Fundecitrus in partnership with the Agronomic Institute (IAC) showed that additional fertilization of orchards had no effect on increasing the production of trees with citrus greening. The research was conducted in well-nourished adult orchards with a low incidence of greening. Results were published in January in the journal PhytoFrontiers of the American Society of …

Brazilian

New Tool Will Help Brazilian Growers Manage Psyllids

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management, Psyllids

Fundecitrus has launched Evaluate Psyllid, a tool that will help citrus growers choose insecticides to manage the pest that spreads citrus greening disease. Evaluate Psyllid will make available the results of insecticide efficacy experiments on field psyllid populations in different regions of Brazil’s citrus belt. The insecticide efficacy data will be constantly updated as experiments are carried out. It will …

lennon

Surviving to Fight Another Day

Daniel CooperFlorida, HLB Management

Bill Lennon is working with researchers to learn more about survivor trees that are standing up to HLB. Bill Lennon is a fifth-generation citrus grower who can recall the industry’s glory days when Central Florida had hundreds of thousands of citrus acres before the 1980s freezes pushed production southward in the state. But he’s remained dedicated to the area, managing …