California Fruit Fly Quarantines Expanded

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and California agriculture officials have expanded the Tau fruit fly quarantine in Los Angeles County and the Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantine in San Bernadino and Riverside counties. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). TAU FRUIT FLYThe agencies expanded …

Queensland

Queensland Fruit Fly Quarantine in California

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, Pests, Regulation

Portions of Ventura and Los Angeles counties have been placed under quarantine for the Queensland fruit fly (QFF), the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced in late October. The quarantine followed the detection of two adult QFFs within the city of Thousand Oaks in Ventura County. The quarantine area measures 76 square miles. It is bordered on the …

citrus forecast

FFVA Endorses Glyphosate Renewal in Europe

Josh McGillInternational, Pesticides, Regulation

Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) recently submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service endorsing the European Union’s (EU) 10-year registration renewal efforts for glyphosate. In the letter, FFVA stressed that glyphosate herbicide has been used safely and successfully in Europe for more than 40 years. It noted that leading health regulators, including in Europe, the …

Australian Plant Protection Guides Available Online

Josh McGillEducation, International

The latest plant protection guides for citrus and deciduous fruit growers in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW), developed by NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), are now available online. The citrus plant protection guide 2023–24 is available here. The orchard plant protection guide for deciduous fruits can be found here. The plant protection guides are developed by NSW DPI …

Federal Aid for Producers Impacted by 2022 Natural Disasters

Josh McGillfinancial, hurricane

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $3 billion to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2022. Eligible producers can apply for financial assistance through the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) 2022. The program will help offset the financial impacts of crop yield and value losses from qualifying disasters occurring in 2022. “In our continued …

How to Properly Transport and Store Pesticides

Josh McGillCEU

By Lourdes C. Pérez Cordero Editor’s note: This article grants one continuing education unit (CEU) in the Core category toward the renewal of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services restricted-use pesticide license when the accompanying test is submitted and approved. Pesticides can often pose a threat to the health and safety of people, wildlife and the environment if …

Brassinosteroids Can Improve Juice Quality and Fruit Yield

Josh McGillTip of the Week

By Fernando Alferez and Divya Aryal There are some indications that brassinosteroids (Brs) may advance commercial internal maturity by almost one month in Valencia sweet orange, depending on the time of application. However, the best time of application in this variety and other sweet orange varieties like Hamlin still needs to be determined, so that this treatment can become economically …

crdf

Fine-Tuning Trunk Injection

Josh McGillHLB Management

Growers have concluded their first round of injecting their citrus trees with oxytetracycline (OTC) and now are anxiously awaiting the results. So far, trees seem to be responding with larger leaves and fruit, but fruit retention will tell the story if the treatment is moving the needle against HLB. For many years, there was a perception among growers that if …

Texas Grapefruit Headed to Vietnam

Josh McGillGrapefruit, International, Trade

Early this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in cooperation with other government agencies, got Vietnam to open its market to U.S. grapefruit. Fresh citrus grower, harvester and packer Wonderful Citrus, which has worked with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to grow its exports, saw a ripe new opportunity.  “Wonderful Citrus and our grower partners are excited for …

Millennium Block Varieties Tour

Josh McGillEvents, Rootstocks, Varieties

Citrus growers are invited to tour the 20-acre Millennium Block at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce on Nov. 7. The tour will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  New varieties in the grove are in their fourth year of growth. Researchers are …

$5 Million Awarded to UF/IFAS for HLB Research

Josh McGillHLB Management, Research

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has been awarded five federal grants totaling more than $5 million to control HLB. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).   HLB is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). The Asian citrus psyllid can transmit CLas into a …

São Paulo Governor Creates Greening Committee

Josh McGillBrazil, Citrus Greening, HLB Management

The governor of Brazil’s state of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas, on Oct. 16 decreed the formation of a state committee for greening contingency after meeting with several members of the state’s citrus industry. Greening affects 38.06% of orange trees in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. The governor acted after considerations by the Sylvio Moreira Citriculture Center/Agronomic …

How Much Yield Is Needed to Offset the Cost of Injecting Trees With Oxytetracycline?

Josh McGillEconomics, HLB Management

By Ariel Singerman Citrus growers in Florida are now allowed to inject their trees with oxytetracycline (OTC) to try to control Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus and/or suppress citrus greening. The use of OTC is expected to improve the trees’ health and, in turn, increase yield. In this article, cost estimates are used to address the question of what yield response is …

Brazilians Learn About Mechanical Harvesting

Josh McGillLabor, Technology

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 …

Improve Fruit Yields and Juice Quality

Josh McGillNutrition, Pest Management, Tip of the Week

By Davie Kadyampakeni and Megan Dewdney The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) conducted a six-year project to determine if plant nutritional fertilizer sources coupled with specific crop protection chemicals help mitigate citrus diseases. This project was conducted on a 5-acre commercial citrus grove block near the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. …

Brazilians Develop New Fruit Borer Trap

Josh McGillBrazil, Pests

Fundecitrus, with the participation of a MasterCitrus student and in partnership with a private company, has developed a new generation of citrus fruit borer traps. The trap is resistant to rain and includes guidelines to assist growers. Fundecitrus researcher Haroldo Volpe explained that the new product is an advance in the fight against citrus fruit borers. “We had a high-tech …

CRAFT Public Dashboard Offers a Look at Trials and Results

Josh McGillCRAFT, Research

By Tina Buice The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program was created in 2019. Its work was centered on the mission of moving lab and research solutions into groves for commercial-scale field trials, collecting data on those trials and creating an integrated data management solution to present the results. Four years later, with more than 10,000 acres of new …

Social Media to Promote Florida Gift Fruit

Josh McGillFlorida Department of Citrus, Fresh

The majority of the Florida Department of Citrus’ (FDOC) $58,200 budget for gift fruit marketing in 2023–24 will fund promoted social media content. FDOC Global Marketing Manager Katelynn Long told the Gift Fruit Shippers Advisory Council Oct. 11 that the budget also includes influencer partnerships, media relations releases and content development and administration. Long said the FDOC plans to focus …

Sugar Belle Is Cold Hardiest Among Non-Satsumas

Josh McGillVarieties

A survey by 15 Extension agents showed Sugar Belle mandarin to be the most cold-hardy non-satsuma citrus variety following a major freeze in Georgia in December 2022. Sugar Belle was followed in order of cold hardiness by Tango, navel oranges, Kishu and grapefruit. Shiranui was the least cold hardy non-satsuma variety. University of Georgia Extension agent Jake Price reported the …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Beauty Is on the Inside

Josh McGillPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette A.B. Michael was known as the “Dean of the Citrus Industry.” His Orchid Island fruit consistently won awards for its high quality. He was a major proponent of fruit for its taste and appearance. Michael was one of the first to institute grading standards in the packinghouses he ran. Here are a few excerpts from a …