Sting Nematodes and IPCs

Josh McGillIPCs, Pests, Tip of the Week

By Larry Duncan and Fernando Alferez Newly planted citrus trees are far less tolerant of pests and diseases than when mature. Sting nematode (Belonolaimus longicaudatus) was not considered a serious economic threat to Florida citrus until successive hard freezes in the 1980s caused widespread replanting of groves. Patches of stunted, declining trees caused by the irregular distribution of sting nematodes …

Oranges and OJ in China: Production and Trade

Josh McGillChina, Crop Forecast, Orange Juice

Orange production in China is expected to increase in 2022–23 over the prior year, while its orange juice (OJ) production is forecast to decline. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDAFAS). ORANGESChina’s orange production in 2022–23 is forecast to reach 7.6 million metric tons (MMT), up from 7.55 MMT the prior year. The …

Australia on Pace for Record Mandarin Exports

Josh McGillExport, International, Mandarins

Australian tangerine and mandarin production in 2022–23 is forecast at 190,000 metric tons (MT), a 9% increase over the 2021–22 estimate of 175,000 MT. This growth is predominantly related to a young tree age profile, with an increasing area of plantings entering production. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).   From …

Costa Rica Orange Crop to Rise

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International

Orange production in Costa Rica is forecast to increase almost 2% in 2022–2023, to 305,000 metric tons (MT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). Denser plantings on larger farms have driven up yields, and HLB management programs mitigate the worst impacts of the virus. HLB was first identified in Costa Rica in 2011. Harvest …

Farm Service Agency Offers Freeze Assistance

Josh McGillfinancial, freeze, Georgia

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Georgia is reminding farmers and landowners of the assistance it offers in the wake of a freeze. The state’s citrus industry suffered damage during the five-night freeze that occurred in late December. The FSA programs are the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). …

Big Boost for Chilean Mandarin Production

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

Mandarin production in Chile is projected to increase by 39.4% in 2022–23, to 237 million tons (MT) compared to the prior year’s 170 MT. Production was low the previous year due to frost in the growing area. The mandarin projection includes clementines and tangerines. The forecast was part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service’s (USDA FAS) annual …

Blanket Flowers Increase Arthropod Predators and Pollinators in Citrus Groves

Josh McGillPest Management, Pollination, Research

By Angela Chuang and Lauren Diepenbrock While many arthropod predator and pollinator activities benefit crop quality and yields, traditional farming environments may not be ideal habitats to support their survival year-round. For example, wild bees or flies that pollinate citrus may need other sources of nectar and pollen when citrus is not flowering. Planting wildflowers near crop fields to improve …

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IMG Citrus Acquires Facility and Farmland

Josh McGillIndustry News Release

IMG Citrus, based in Vero Beach, Florida, has acquired J&J Fresh Produce assets. These assets, also located in Vero Beach, include a new 185,000-square-foot cold storage and packaging facility and 1,000 acres of farmland in the Delta Farms Water Control District. “This is an exciting acquisition and a key component of our growth strategy,” said Melanie Ressler, co-chief executive officer …

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Chile’s Orange Crop to Increase

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International

Orange production in Chile is forecast to increase by 22% and total 200,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022–23. The forecast was part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service’s (USDA FAS) annual citrus report for Chile. The prior season’s production, hurt by frost, was expected to be 164,000 MT. PRODUCTION REGIONSThe area planted in oranges in Chile in …

Mandarin Production in Korea

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International

Reduced open-field Unshu mandarin harvest in the southern part of Jeju Island will drop total citrus production in Korea to 595,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022–23. This overall 2.9% reduction from last year is primarily due to a drier summer fruit-growing period and an alternating fruit-bearing cycle for Unshu production areas in the Seogwipo region. Those projections were made by …

Cover Crop Considerations for Citrus

Josh McGillCover Crops

By Amir Rezazadeh Cover crops protect the soil from sunlight, wind and heavy rain, which enhances soil microbial populations and improves soil structure, water infiltration and root penetration. A reduction in soil crusting, erosion, runoff and nutrient leaching are additional advantages. Through improved nitrogen cycling and nutrient retention, cover crops increase soil fertility. ORGANIC MATTER SOURCECover crops offer an inexpensive …

Fallen Fruit Leads to $23 Million Loss for Alico

Josh McGillfinancial, hurricane

Hurricane Ian in late September caused substantial fruit drop at the majority of Alico Citrus’ groves, the company reported in its recent fiscal year 2022 financial results. The fiscal year ended Sept. 30. “Fortunately, tree damage was largely limited to only one property,” said John Kiernan, president and chief executive officer. “This lost fruit impacted our fiscal year 2022 financial …

Economic Perspectives on the 2021–22 Florida Processed Orange Season

Josh McGillEconomics

By Thomas H. Spreen The timing of Hurricane Ian is not unlike that of Hurricane Irma in September of 2017 in that it struck before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop forecast was released in October, but after the data collection process was already completed for the forecast. Therefore, the USDA forecast will not take Hurricane Ian’s impacts into …

Seeing Success With Louisiana Citrus Grown Indoors

Josh McGillLouisiana

A three-year Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter) study is investigating the pros and cons of growing citrus inside or in containers. “So far, we are finding that the pros are outnumbering cons,” said Anna Timmerman, LSU AgCenter horticulture agent in St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes. Early results of Timmerman’s research show that growing citrus indoors produces a high-quality …

The Essential Elements of Reset Management

Josh McGillplanting, Tip of the Week

By Mongi Zekri For maximum efficiency of a grove, it is essential that every location is occupied by a tree and that every tree is healthy. Prompt replacement of dead and declining trees means higher average long-term returns from the grove. If the declining trees remain in the grove, they keep getting weaker and yield less fruit each year. Therefore, …

CRAFT Application Deadline Extended

Josh McGillCRAFT, planting, Research

The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation has extended the deadline for CRAFT Cycle Four to Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. It made the extension in response to multiple requests. The foundation recognized that many Florida citrus growers have had to shift their focus and time for the past couple of months to deal with hurricane recovery. GROWER INCENTIVESCRAFT …

Groundcovers Promote Water-Use Efficiency and Pest Management

Josh McGillIrrigation, Pests

By Sandra M. Guzmán, Larry Duncan, John Santiago and Lorenzo Rossi The implementation of pest management technologies might have an impact on other management areas in the grove. Landscape fabric groundcovers, for example, have been used for pest management in citrus production. Groundcovers also recently have been used to promote the homogeneous availability of water for uptake by roots, better …

Post-Hurricane Weed Management

Josh McGillTip of the Week, weeds

By Ramdas Kanissery Hurricanes and the associated flooding will impact weed management in the affected season and the following years. Weeds should be effectively managed after these severe weather events as weeds may take advantage of the reduced competitiveness of recovering trees. INTENSIFY SCOUTINGA critical step in weed management after hurricanes is to scout groves and note the emergence of …

Irrigation Contributes to Rising Yields in São Paulo

Josh McGillBrazil, Irrigation, Production

Use of irrigation for citrus in Brazil’s state of São Paulo has grown by almost 33% in the last six years, according to Citricultor magazine, published by Fundecitrus. The magazine cites irrigation and other improved growing practices as causes for a continuing yield rate acceleration.      In 35 years, citrus production per hectare in São Paulo has leaped by about 178%, …

Brazilian NFC OJ Exports Boom

Josh McGillBrazil, Export, Orange Juice

Brazilian exports of not-from-concentrate orange juice (NFC OJ) have jumped 296% in volume over the past 18 crop seasons, reaching a peak of 1.5 million tons in the 2017–18 season. During the same period, exports of concentrated OJ declined 46%. Concentrated OJ historically had accounted for the highest volume of shipments of orange products to international markets. The increase in …