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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Research”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) citrus scion breeding program recently rediscovered several noteworthy grapefruit cultivars at the A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm in Groveland, Florida. Among these are the Florida Red, Red Blush and Henderson varieties. These cultivars were originally selected as long shots from the Whitmore Foundation Farm and were planted in 1986. They have survived …
The pros of using interstocks for HLB management seemed to outweigh the cons, based on a presentation horticulturist Manjul Dutt made at this spring’s Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. Dutt is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor. An interstock is a graft of a citrus selection that can be used as a bridge between …
Texas A&M researcher Kranthi Mandadi has received the 2024 American Phytopathological Society (APS) Syngenta Award given to select scientists working in areas of crop protection and plant pathology. Mandadi is an associate professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco. He was selected for the award primarily for his breakthrough research on fastidious, …
By Rob Gilbert, ragilber@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Let’s start with the most important thing. Citrus science remains a top priority of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Citrus is special. My goal for citrus is sustainability. That means profitability. Here are a few new ways UF/IFAS has demonstrated its support for citrus science during the past five …
Citrus farming worldwidedelivers an annual 140 million tons of oranges, tangerines and other citrus fruits, but much of the postharvest crop is lost before it reaches the market. “Up to 30% of citrus fruit is lost to decay and disease following harvesting,” says food scientist Yang Shan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and head of the Dongting …
Orange peels may hold a key to better cardiovascular health, new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)-led research shows. Some gut bacteria help develop cardiovascular disease. When they feed on certain nutrients during digestion, gut bacteria produce trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Levels of TMAO can help predict future cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at the Cleveland Clinic. …
An orange, to most people, is simply a piece of fruit. But to food scientist Yang Shan, it is much more. The discarded pith, pips, skin and membranes of citrus fruits are untapped reservoirs of useful compounds. “Our goal is to make full use of the citrus fruit,” says Shan, head of the academic committee of the Hunan Academy of …
Huanglongbing (HLB) is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), which has been challenging to culture outside its host because of its intracellular nature and genome reduction. Due to these challenges, in-depth research on effective cultivation methods for CLas is essential to develop better control strategies. Such in-depth research was conducted by a team from the U.S. Department of …
By Ute Albrecht, Bo Meyering, Carol Tardivo, Gabriel Pugina and Kim D. Bowman The approaching hurricane season poses the question of why strong winds cause some citrus trees to topple over while others remain firm in the ground. Grove location, grove topography and soil type are factors that influence a tree’s ability to withstand tropical-force winds. The tree’s root structure …
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 …
University of Georgia Extension agent Jake Price recently summarized yields for three recent seasons from Owari satsuma trees in a rootstock trial. Last year, 2023, was the last harvest year for data collection in the trial. Price reported that yield in the trial plot peaked in 2021 with a yield of about 20,300 pounds on 60 trees, which would be …
Last week, growers convened in Avon Park for the annual Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. The daylong seminar program provides updates on the latest research in the fight against HLB and other production issues facing growers. Rick Dantzler, chief operating officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), presented an update on the organization’s research priorities. He noted that CRDF …
A significant portion of consumers are drawn to Florida orange juice (OJ) despite recent economic setbacks, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) study shows. “There is an intrinsic value that consumers have for Florida orange juice. When they think of Florida, orange juice is often part of the imagery,” said Marisa Zansler, director of economic …
Since its founding in 2019, the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program has been responsible for the planting of just under 10,000 acres of new trees. This includes about 6,000 acres of solid-set groves and just shy of 4,000 acres of resets. CRAFT is a first-of-its-kind program and considered an innovation among funding agencies needed to support such efforts. …
It’s one thing for a hybrid citrus tree to tolerate HLB, but quite another thing for it to produce orange-like fruit that makes delicious orange juice (OJ). That holy grail of traits could be nearer, thanks to a team of U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientists. …
Lukas Hallman is about to embark on an internship in Switzerland to investigate the vascular system of trees affected by citrus greening. Hallman is in his final year of a Ph.D. program in horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center. He is under the guidance of Lorenzo …
You’ve probably heard the term CRISPR in recent years. It is a relatively new breakthrough in science that has applications in human health and even in the fight against HLB. Nian Wang, a professor of microbiology and cell science with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been on the forefront of CRISPR research. Here …
Georgia’s citrus industry started with the help of University of Georgia (UGA) Extension. Research assistance from UGA could help the industry flourish. Georgia citrus growers will have an opportunity to vote on a marketing order that will help fund potential research, explains Ken Corbett, chairman of the Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Citrus Fruits and a producer at Corbett Brothers …
Studies with psyllid pheromones show that the insect’s behavior is altered when it is infected by the HLB-causing bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter (CLas). This makes it difficult to produce a commercial psyllid-control product based on the insect pheromone, Brazil’s Fundecitrus has concluded. “The sexual pheromone is an attractant produced by the female of the species, which promotes behavioral changes in male …
In the face of HLB in Florida, a recent study delved into the economic viability of incorporating cover crops in citrus groves to enhance soil health and overall tree well-being. Shourish Chakravarty and Tara Wade wrote an article, Cost Analysis of Using Cover Crops in Citrus Production, about the study. Both authors are with the University of Florida Institute of …
