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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Technology”
Imagine a future where nurseries can effortlessly manage their plants with cutting-edge automation technologies, using potting or weed-spraying robots instead of having to dig each hole or spray each pot by hand. With the help of a $9.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, this vision is becoming a reality. The University …
The American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) journal HortScience recently published an article that describes a simple, low-cost method for accurate canopy evaluation of citrus. The authors are Taylor Livingston, Amit Levy and Tripti Vashisth of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center. A summary of the article follows. Citrus cultivation presents …
California’s Citrus Research Board (CRB) has signed a $900,000 funding agreement with Nanovel that includes delivery of a citrus-harvesting robot after a series of field trials in California, Nanovel reported. The field trials are set to start in the spring of 2025 and will be conducted in cooperation with citrus growers. Nanovel, an Israeli company established in 2018 by Chief …
If there was ever a time when Florida citrus growers would want to get a better read on tree health, this season might it. A significant number of acres have been treated with new trunk-injection therapies, and growers have been monitoring groves to observe the impact of the treatments. Growers have traditionally relied on visual observation to get a sense …
By Frank Giles A recent field day showcased how technology might help citrus growers with two of their biggest challenges: sourcing labor and fighting HLB. The event was held at Lost Lake Groves in Lake Placid, Florida, and featured machine harvest of citrus trees in an experimental super-high-density grove. The grove has 908 trees per acre and has been topped …
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP My job is to help you make money. By changing the way the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) does business in pursuing citrus solutions, I hope to change your business for the better. We’ve just launched a UF/IFAS Crop Transformation Center (CTC). It has the potential to speed delivery …
The Gulf Citrus Growers Association and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center presented the Florida AgTech and AI Expo in Punta Gorda on Dec. 14. The event showcased emerging trends in technology and how some farms are putting ag technology to work in the real world. In addition to …
By Sandra M. Guzmán Efficient irrigation management is crucial in optimizing tree growth and promoting sustainable management practices in modern agriculture. This article introduces IrrigMonitor, an Internet of Things data visualization platform developed at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) Smart Irrigation and Hydrology Lab. IrrigMonitor is a …
Representatives of Fundecitrus and the Brazilian citrus industry went to Seville, Spain, to participate in a meeting about mechanical harvesting of citrus. The key objective was learning about different tools and machines designed for the mechanization of citrus handling. One example of machinery is the mechanized harvesting equipment used for densely cultivated orange groves. In one of their visits, the …
By Davie Kadyampakeni, Sandra M. Guzmán and Ajia Paolillo Using soil moisture sensors for irrigation scheduling can reduce water stress in citrus trees. Sensors that are easy to calibrate and maintain, specifically designed for managing irrigation and fertigation on Florida’s sandy soils, are the preferred choice. These tools enable growers to use their water resources wisely and efficiently. There are …
The Fundecitrus app, launched in February, has a new feature to help citrus growers properly rotate insecticides to manage the psyllid that spreads citrus greening disease. The new feature helps growers choose insecticides with different modes of action. The use of insecticides with the same mode of action in sequential applications can result in an increase in the frequency of …
Using drones to apply chemical control for HLB-spreading psyllids in Brazil proved effective against adult insects, a Fundecitrus researcher reported. The researcher, Marcelo Miranda, said psyllid mortality was above 80% as a result of drone applications. Miranda’s work was pioneering in 2021. There was no record of the use of drones for the chemical control of the psyllid in western …
By Amit Levy and Tripti Vashisth Many Florida citrus growers are currently injecting oxytetracycline, spraying gibberellic acid (GA) or treating trees with enhanced nutrition. A new program offered by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UFIFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) can help growers determine if these treatments are improving tree health and leading to …
Far from his roots in a small town in northwest China, Changying “Charlie” Li is now the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) artificial intelligence (AI) administrative coordinator. He’s also a professor of agricultural and biological engineering. Li joined UF/IFAS last year to focus on agricultural AI with research, teaching and administration appointments. He wants to …
Tripti Vashisth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor, joined the March episode of the All In For Citrus podcast to discuss a new smartphone application growers will be able to use soon to measure tree health. Plant growth regulators like gibberellic acid, 2,4-D and brassinosteroids have demonstrated the ability to improve tree health and …
Technological advancements in recent years allow drones to perform precise agricultural work efficiently. One of the tasks in greatest demand is the application of phytosanitary products in a quick and timely manner. Drones can be used for extensive applications in a short time and are ideal for ultra-low-volume interventions. With drones, very specific sectors, such as sources of disease or …
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) breeders produce new citrus plants more quickly than they can figure out if consumers like how the new fruit varieties taste. In the race to create versus evaluate, creators lead evaluators by hundreds of individual plants at a time. It takes a post-doc a …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to quantify damage to fruits and vegetables caused by extreme weather events. One such extreme weather event was Hurricane Ian, which struck Florida on Sept. 28, 2022. The storm’s damage to all crops, livestock and aquaculture products was initially estimated at up …
By Ramdas Kanissery, Yiannis Ampatzidis, Mahesh Bashyal and Shea Teems Weed control is vital for profitable citrus production since weeds compete for nutrients and water, can harbor diseases and pests, and get in the way of equipment and workers. Without proper management, weeds lead to reduced crop yield and economic losses. Chemical weed control using herbicides is the most common …
While irrigation and technology were meant to be the focus of the November issue of Citrus Industry, the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, combined with the low initial crop forecast that does not even account for the storm’s damage, proved to be the much bigger story. Editor-in-Chief Frank Giles provides early details on the hurricane’s damage to Florida’s citrus industry and …
