The current Section 18 emergency exemption permitting application of FireWall™ 50 WP to aid in the control of citrus canker in Florida grapefruit expires on July 1, 2016. After discussions with EPA, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) have decided not to pursue its renewal. The rationale for this …
What to Consider When Putting a New Grove in Place
By: Mongi Zekri There is a high degree of planning and preparation that goes into making a new citrus tree planting successful. Site preparation, installation of an irrigation system, selection of varieties and rootstocks, tree spacing, purchasing trees from reputable nurseries, and tree planting and care are all important. Site Preparation The planting site should be well prepared. Soils at …
Post-Hurricane Pest Management
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher Lauren Diepenbrock recently offered post-hurricane observations and management suggestions for some insects and snails. Diepenbrock is an assistant professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center. BULIMULUS SNAILS Related Bulimulus snail species have been found to lay eggs in the fall after major rain events. Both small and larger …
CRDF Funds OTC and Other Research Projects
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board of directors had a busy meeting in September. The board approved several research proposals for funding. And one researcher was asked to revise and resubmit a proposal. “A complicating factor was several of the proposals were put together before the ‘off-year’ of oxytetracycline (OTC) usage was repealed, but we concluded that it …
Factors to Consider When Planting a New Grove
Growers have numerous things to think about when planting a new grove. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus genetic improvement specialist John Chater discussed this topic during a recent Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo presentation. Following are highlights from his talk on establishing new varieties in a new citrus grove. PESTS AND DISEASES Soilborne pests …
Freeze Does Not Have the Same Effect on All Pests
The Christmas freeze event in 2022 affected some insect pests in the cold-hardy citrus region more so than others, according to Xavier Martini. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor spoke about his findings during the recent Citrus Health Forum held at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy. Martini addressed …
Fall Tree Health After Initial Trunk-Injection Treatments
By Frank Giles and Maegan Beatty As growers deployed their first application of oxytetracycline (OTC) via trunk-injection this summer, expectations were high but tempered by the fact the therapy is not expected to turn the massive HLB ship around in just one season. By this fall, after the seasonal cooldown, growers were still reporting generally positive signs from the treatments. …
Brassinosteroid and Weed Management Research Updated
Brassinosteroids for HLB-infected trees and the latest on year-round weed management were discussed at a Jan. 17 OJ Break at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt hosted the event. UF/IFAS assistant professors Fernando Alferez and Ramdas Kanissery made the presentations …
New Center to Accelerate HLB Solutions
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 …
Trekking Toward HLB-Resistant Trees
By Michael Rogers Much has been discussed recently about the promise and potential of utilizing CRISPR technology to create HLB-resistant trees for Florida’s citrus growers. The primary objective in citrus gene editing is to develop new varieties that are resistant to HLB disease while remaining non-transgenic. To achieve this goal, researchers make alterations to or eliminate specific genes within the …
HLB Tools for Today and Tomorrow
By Frank Giles and Tacy Callies The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo hosted two citrus educational sessions during the Aug. 16–17 event held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The sessions included both long-term research aimed at delivering trees resistant to HLB as well as what growers can do today to help mitigate the effects of the disease in …
Developing Management for a New Snail Pest
By Lauren Diepenbrock A recently established snail species, Bulimulus bonariensis (also known as Bulimulus sporadicus), has been growing in population throughout the Southeast for the past few years. Growers first reported concerns about this snail in 2020 when they found the pest covering microjets and interfering with irrigation in the late spring/early summer (Figure 1). At the time, it was …
Recovery Will Require a Multipronged Management Program
By Michael Rogers The 2022–23 Florida harvest season is now behind us. Yield losses magnified by the weather events this past season position the next couple of years as “make or break” for many growers. The lingering effects of hurricane Ian will impact next season’s crop as trees continue to recover and balance out canopy regrowth with fruit production. Despite …
Lessons Learned From HLB as an Immune-Mediated Plant Disease
By Nian Wang How the huanglongbing (HLB) pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) causes damage to infected citrus trees has been widely debated. A recent study demonstrates that HLB is an immune-mediated plant disease (Ma et al., 2022). It was discovered that CLas infection of citrus stimulates systemic and chronic immune response in phloem tissues, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, …
Showcasing Research Results
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Overnight success comes after years of hard work. In science, that means the “eureka” moment isn’t a moment at all. It comes after years of research that can cost millions of dollars. That’s a level of resources that the federal government helps deliver. We’re fortunate that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of …
Uruguay Has First HLB Detections
The first cases of plants with HLB disease have been confirmed in Uruguay, according to a health emergency note released by the country’s Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries. Plants with symptoms were found in a residence in the city of Bella Unión. After laboratory analysis, the presence of the disease was confirmed. Inspections were carried out in the homes …
CRDF Funds Project to Arrest HLB Bacteria
At the latest Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board of directors meeting, funding was approved for a project by Robert Turgeon. He is a professor of plant biology at Cornell University. “Dr. Turgeon is considered by some to be the world’s foremost expert on phloem physiology. If his project succeeds, it could solve our problem with HLB,” CRDF chief …
Orange Crop Outlook for Brazil
The total Brazilian orange crop for marketing year 2022–23 is forecast at 405 million boxes (MB), a reduction of 10 MB compared to the previous season. The commercial area in the state of São Paulo and the western part of Minas Gerais should account for 305 MB, a drop of 3% from the prior year. Production from other states is …
CRDF Allocates Year-End Funds to HLB Research Projects
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) met for its December board meeting to discuss several topics before heading into the new year. One of the bigger areas of discussion was what to do with available uncommitted funds. “The board decided to fund work on several questions growers have regarding the use of bactericides inserted through systemic delivery devices and …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Growers Recall the Way It Used To Be
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette It’s hard to imagine how the early pioneers managed to grow, pick, pack and ship their fruit without the technological means we have today. In doing various oral history interviews this year, that point was really brought home to me. One grower recalled how irrigating his family’s grove meant moving the actual water pipes manually from …