Critical Leaf Nutrient Thresholds to Diagnose Deficiencies in HLB Trees

Tacy Callies HLB Management, Nutrition

By Arnold Schumann, Laura Waldo, Tripti Vashisth, Alan Wright and Kelly Morgan Huanglongbing (HLB) disease severely impacts the nutrient status of citrus trees, particularly by stunting the feeder roots and causing measurable deficiencies of nutrients in the roots and canopies. Visible symptoms of nutrient deficiencies on citrus foliage are characteristic but not diagnostic of HLB disease. Recent HLB research efforts …

Important Insurance Deadlines Are Approaching

Tacy Callies crop insurance

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds Florida citrus growers of upcoming insurance deadlines as they relate to the Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (WHIP) and the Block Grant. WHIP Requirement for Nursery CropsThe application sales closing date for crop insurance for 2020 Nursery Crops is May 1, 2019. Nursery growers who received WHIP benefits must …

rubio

Rubio Calls on DeSantis to Disburse Citrus Aid

Daniel Cooper Citrus, financial, hurricane, Industry News Release

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio implored Florida’s new governor Tuesday to start spreading disaster-relief money approved nearly a year ago to address massive citrus-industry damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017. Rubio said in a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis that money in a $343 million block grant needs to be disbursed to citrus growers. Rubio said the federal government shutdown has …

Research Update: Citrus Under Protective Screen

Tacy Callies CUPS

By Arnold Schumann, Timothy Ebert, Laura Waldo, Danny Holmes, Napoleon Mariner, Gary Test, Chris Oswalt, Rhuanito Ferrarezi and Ricardo Lesmes Two studies with citrus under protective screen (CUPS) were established at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) and Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in 2013–14. The goal …

Increasing Yield Through High-Density Plantings

Tacy Callies planting

By Rhuanito Ferrarezi, Alan Wright and Arnold Schumann High-density plantings have been tested worldwide in advanced citrus production systems (ACPS) to increase efficiency of water, fertilizer and light, and to maximize yield per area. After the onset of huanglongbing (HLB) in Florida, canopy growth reduced drastically due to negative impacts on plant health, creating the need for new plant spacing …

Orange Imports Increase as Domestic Juice Supply Remains Squeezed

Tacy Callies Industry News Release

Until a solution for citrus greening is found, imports will be key to keeping Florida’s citrus industry afloat. Domestic orange production has been declining steadily over the last two decades, with citrus greening disease being the leading cause of decreased acres and productivity. As the gap between domestic production and consumption has widened, imports have increased to boost dwindling domestic …

Components of a Healthy Citrus Soil

Tacy Callies Soil Improvement

By Sarah Strauss and Ute Albrecht There is increasing discussion and interest in soil health from both growers and researchers. Soil health is generally synonymous with soil quality. It can impact not just sustainability, but also improve water-holding capacity, nutrient availability, yield and overall grove productivity. In citrus, soil health is particularly important because of the reduction of root mass …

citrus

CUPS Protects Citrus from HLB and Storms

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, CUPS, Research

A system designed to protect citrus trees from the deadly greening disease withstood the ravaging winds of Hurricane Irma last year, University of Florida scientists say. With reinforcements installed after the storm, they’ll likely withstand even more dangerous storms. Using citrus under protective screening (CUPS), growers can keep the Asian citrus psyllids away from their trees, said Arnold Schumann, a …

Cold-Hardy Citrus for North Florida

Tacy Callies Varieties

By Xavier Martini and Peter Andersen Cold-hardy citrus has a long history in North Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia. Records show that sweet orange, citron, lemon, lime and pummelo were brought to Saint Augustine, Florida, from Spain in 1565. However, it was not until the late 1700s that the Jesuits introduced satsuma (Citrus unshiu) to what is now Louisiana. SATSUMA …

Field Testing of New HLB-Tolerant Scions and Rootstocks

Tacy Callies Research, Rootstocks, Scions

By Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi, Jude W. Grosser, Fred G. Gmitter, Ed Stover and Kim Bowman Citrus is Florida’s most important agricultural commodity. The state produces citrus for different markets: round oranges for juice; navels, mandarins, grapefruit and lemons for the fresh-fruit industry; and lemons for extracting peel oil for processing. Huanglongbing (HLB) disease affects all citrus varieties. Since the discovery …

Managing Mites in Florida Citrus

Tacy Callies Pests

By Lukasz L. Stelinski, Jawwad A. Qureshi and Philip A. Stansly Florida citrus is host to four main groups of mites categorized by differences in lineage and morphology. However, only rust mites, spider mites and broad mites historically cause economic damage to commercially grown citrus in the state. The fourth group, referred to as false spider mites, are vectors elsewhere …

Steep Florida Grapefruit Production Declines

Abbey Taylor Grapefruit

Most growers and professionals in the citrus industry are aware that Florida’s orange crop has declined due to diseases like citrus greening and natural disasters like Hurricane Irma. However, Florida’s grapefruit crop has been suffering tremendously as well, even more severely than Florida oranges. The Florida orange crop has dropped by 35 percent this year, while Florida grapefruit has dropped …

Mexico

Overview of Mexico’s Citrus Industry

Ernie Neff Mexico

Ricardo Martinez Zambrano, director of sales for North America with Citrofrut, summarizes a Mexican citrus industry report he delivered at the recent International Citrus Business Conference. Zambrano says oranges account for about 56 percent of Mexico’s total citrus production, but “there is no official source in Mexico that does the estimation.” An area of eastern Mexico has about 80 percent …

florida

Irma Agriculture Aid Slated to Start in Summer

Daniel Cooper Citrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

A program to distribute federal disaster aid to Florida farmers hit by Hurricane Irma will be set up within the next 100 days, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Friday. “USDA (the U.S. Department of Agriculture) is working as quickly as possible to develop procedures and a system by which affected producers can access disaster assistance,” Perdue said in a …

orange juice

International OJ Market Sees Some Positives

Tacy Callies Global Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves The third Fundecitrus estimate of the season for the Brazilian orange crop on Feb. 11 was just shy of 400 million boxes. It is 3.13 percent larger than the last estimate in December, and 9 percent larger than the initial estimate published in May. Fruits are bigger and heavier, reaching 247 fruits per box. This is …

new york times

Calls Increase for Irma Aid to Flow to Farmers

Daniel Cooper Citrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Pressure is growing from Florida and other states as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to determine how to move forward with a disaster-relief package President Donald Trump signed in early February. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., joined colleagues from Texas, Louisiana and California this week in prodding U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue …

Current Considerations for Citrus Irrigation Management

Tacy Callies Irrigation

Growers can use these tips and tools for trees impacted by HLB and Hurricane Irma. By Davie Kadyampakeni, Kelly Morgan, Mongi Zekri, Rhuanito Ferrarezi, Arnold Schumann and Thomas A. Obreza Water is a limiting factor in Florida citrus production during the majority of the year. This is because of the low water-holding capacity of sandy soils resulting from low clay …

Sneak Peek: April 2018 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy Callies Sneak Peek

Water is a key ingredient in achieving a healthy citrus crop, but too little or too much can be detrimental. Two articles in the April issue of Citrus Industry magazine address irrigation management. In the first article, growers will learn about irrigation scheduling methods and get production pointers for trees impacted by HLB and Hurricane Irma. The second article looks …

State of the Florida Citrus-Packing Segment

Tacy Callies Citrus

By Peter Chaires Florida’s fresh-packing segment is in a significant period of transition. The freezes of the 1980s caused substantial southward movement of citrus production and the loss of supply to most packinghouses in the northern regions. During this time, urban expansion and construction booms were also depleting acreage that supplied fresh houses. The early battles against citrus canker eliminated …

nelson

Sen. Nelson Calls on Federal Agencies to Distribute Disaster Aid

Daniel Cooper Citrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) took to the Senate floor late Monday afternoon to urge the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture to immediately release the disaster funding approved by Congress in February to help Floridians who are still recovering from Hurricane Irma. “It has been almost six months since Hurricane Irma struck Florida, and it’s been about …