Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane researchers on June 2 increased the number of named storms and hurricanes they expect for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season from their initial outlook in April. The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project team is predicting 20 named storms in 2022. Of those, researchers expect 10 to become hurricanes and five to reach major hurricane strength (Saffir/Simpson …
Research Update: Stable Antimicrobial Peptide
By Hailing Jin Research on the effectiveness of a novel stable antimicrobial peptide (SAMP) identified from the Australian finger lime (Microcitrus australasica) to fight huanglongbing (HLB) continues in a multistate initiative involving 1,500 citrus trees. Although the pandemic has impacted the progress of the research, work has steadily continued and expanded. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside and University …
U.S. Lemon, Grapefruit and Tangerine Outlook
Lemons are the only U.S. citrus commodity forecast this season to exceed last season’s production levels, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported recently. At a projected 976,000 tons, lemon production is expected to be 10% higher than last season. Ninety-four percent of lemons commercially grown in the United States are from California. Despite the higher domestic production, …
April Citrus Forecast: Florida Down, California Up
Florida’s Valencia orange crop forecast was cut by 13%, and the state’s grapefruit crop projection was trimmed by 8% in the April 8 forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service. The Valencia crop projection was reduced by 3 million boxes, to 20 million boxes. Final fruit size is below the minimum, requiring 273 pieces of …
U.S. Orange Juice Output to Hit 50-Year Low
Total U.S. orange juice (OJ) production in the current 2021–22 season is forecast at 286 million single-strength equivalent (SSE) gallons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported recently. If realized, this volume will be the lowest in more than 50 years. To compensate for lower production, U.S. OJ imports are expected to increase over last year, reaching more …
Growers Needed to Aid Development of HLB Tool
Excelsior Aerospace Corporation announced it is pursuing funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to build a free tool that can rapidly detect, track and manage huanglongbing (HLB) disease. “On one end, our tool would serve growers in states such as Texas and California to detect early symptoms of ACP (Asian citrus psyllid) and HLB infection and take measures …
Citrus Canker Confirmed in South Carolina
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of citrus canker disease in a nursery in South Carolina. The nursery sells plants to consumers through online sales. Other nurseries did not receive these plants. Together with state partners, APHIS is working to collect and destroy the plants shipped to consumers in …
Be Alert for Citrus Canker in Alabama
Alabama Cooperative Extension implores growers to be on the lookout for symptoms of citrus canker disease in their trees. Commercial growers need to scout their trees regularly to stop the disease’s potential spread, says Kassie Conner, Alabama Extension specialist. “What we need people to do right now is look for these symptoms and report it if they find it,” Conner …
Florida Orange Forecast Falls Again
Florida’s projected 2021–22 orange crop was reduced by 1 million boxes, to 43.5 million boxes, in the February citrus crop forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service. The forecast was released Feb. 9. The entire orange reduction was in the to-be-harvested Valencia crop, which was reduced 4% to 26 million boxes. The forecast for non-Valencia …
Florida Citrus Forecast Drops Again
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service released its monthly U.S. citrus production forecast on Jan. 12. ORANGESThe report showed another 3% drop in Florida orange production down to 44.5 million boxes. The initial forecast in October predicted 47 million boxes. The forecast for all oranges fell by 1.5 million boxes from the December report. Florida’s non-Valencia …
Resolved to Give Growers What They Need
By Michael Rogers January marks the season for resolutions: exercising more, eating well and being more organized. But in the research world, resolutions may not be that simple. I don’t think that University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers could be any more “resolved” in finding ways to fight citrus diseases and ways to improve how …
New H-2A Wages Effective Dec. 29
A recent issue of the Florida Citrus Mutual Triangle newsletter provided information about the wage that growers must pay H-2A labor, effective Dec. 29. H-2A workers are foreign agricultural workers who are allowed to work in the United States temporarily. In recent years, the vast majority of Florida citrus has been harvested by H-2A workers. The Employment and Training Administration …
Grapefruit Issues Tackled by Mutual
The Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) Triangle newsletter recently updated efforts to have the federal government rescind an action that suspended the juice content requirements on imported grapefruit. In early October, the domestic grapefruit industry was made aware of a “patch” that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had issued in April of this year suspending the juice content requirements on …
Sweet Orange Scab Quarantine Expanded
A quarantine for Elsinoë australis, the fungal causal agent of sweet orange scab (SOS), was established in all of Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama to prevent the spread of the disease. The quarantine was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI). …
Legislators Want Grapefruit Decision Reversed
Members of the Florida and Texas congressional delegations recently urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reverse its decision to administratively suspend juice content standards for imported grapefruit. The delegations also requested information regarding the circumstances of the suspension, which was allegedly made without a proper rulemaking process, and for which Congress was not notified. The request was led by …
Ups and Downs in Florida Citrus Forecast
On Dec. 9, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service reported the Florida orange forecast at 46 million boxes. Total orange production is down 2% from the October forecast but down 13% from last season’s final utilization. The decrease is in Florida non-Valencia production, which now stands at 18 million boxes. Current droppage is above average and …
HLB Quarantines Established in Alabama
Effective immediately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI), is establishing new quarantines for huanglongbing (HLB; citrus greening disease). The new quarantines are effective in all areas of Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama. APHIS is taking this action because of HLB detections in …
Florida Citrus Packers: Fix Grapefruit Import Action Now
Florida Citrus Packers recently called for a fix to a so-called “patch” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that allegedly creates unfair advantages for Mexico and other countries over domestic grapefruit producers. Citrus Industry previously reported that the agriculture commissioners for Florida and Texas wrote letters protesting the USDA action. Florida Citrus Packers Executive Vice President Peter Chaires …
Grapefruit Import Action Protested
The state agriculture commissioners for Florida and Texas recently urged U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to reinstate juice content requirements on grapefruit imports. They stated that a so-called “patch” issued earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture creates unfair advantages for Mexico and other countries over domestic grapefruit producers. “There appears to have been a ‘patch’ quietly …
HLB Research Grants Go to UF/IFAS
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) was recently awarded more than $2.2 million in federal grants for HLB research. The funding came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program. UF/IFAS researchers are also serving in leadership roles in two other NIFA-funded …