Georgia Citrus Pest and Disease Update

Tacy CalliesDiseases, Georgia, Pests

As the Georgia citrus industry continues to grow and prosper, growers should be aware of the potential signs of citrus pests and diseases that could be looming in their groves. Bill Barber, Certified Crop Advisor and owner of Barber Ag Services, delivered a presentation during the 2021 virtual Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. He addressed pests and diseases presently …

Third Packer for Cold-Hardy Citrus

Ernie NeffPacking

A third packinghouse started packing fresh South Georgia and North Florida citrus in 2020. The newest packer, The Satsuma Company, is in Tifton, Georgia. The others, Corbett Brothers in Lake Park, Georgia, and Florida Georgia Citrus in Monticello, Florida, have been packing citrus since 2016. “I have visited all three facilities in South Georgia and North Florida,” said Lindy Savelle, …

Louisiana Faces Several Citrus Woes

Ernie NeffLouisiana

Hurricanes, development, demographics, disease and other issues combined in recent decades to severely reduce citrus acreage and crops in Plaquemines Parish, which has the majority of Louisiana growers. According to Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter, the state has only 841 acres of citrus remaining. Anna Timmerman, LSU AgCenter horticultural Extension agent, discussed the industry’s woes in the parish that she …

Some Citrus Recovery Expected in Mexico

Ernie NeffMexico

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service recently issued a report on the citrus industry in Mexico. Some highlights follow. ORANGEOrange production in the 2020-21 marketing year is forecast to partially rebound after drought decimated last year’s crop by nearly 40 percent. Residual soil health effects and low producer investments in orchard rehabilitation will prohibit full production recovery. Lack …

Sneak Peek: January 2021 Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

Now is the time of year for gifting fresh citrus to family and friends to enjoy. Unfortunately, people are not the only ones who enjoy eating citrus. Numerous pests can be found feasting on various plant parts in the grove. Keeping pests under control is the theme of the January issue of Citrus Industry magazine. Of course, the most concerning …

Update on CRISPR Research for Citrus Improvement

Tacy CalliesBreeding

By Nian Wang, Fred Gmitter and Manjul Dutt Nearly all commercially important citrus types — oranges, grapefruits etc. — have originated by mutations that have accumulated over several hundreds to thousands of years, from what once was an original, individual sweet orange tree and a single grapefruit tree. The many different cultivars that we know today are descended from those …

growers

Freeze Protection Measures for Citrus

Ernie Nefffreeze

Multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt discussed historical and current freeze protection measures in a virtual Dec. 22 OJ Break. PASSIVE MEASURESSome cold-protection measures are taken well in advance of freezes; Oswalt referred to them as passive measures. They include grove site selection, crop selection and cultural practices. One site selection consideration is planting groves at higher elevations, which are …

High-Tech Scouting in Citrus Production

Tacy CalliesTechnology

By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Tara Wade Traditional sensing technologies in citrus production for pest and disease detection and field phenotyping rely on manual sampling, which is time consuming and labor intensive. Since availability of personnel trained for field scouting is a major problem, small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with various sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) can simplify the surveying …

nominations

Four to Join Citrus Hall of Fame

Ernie NeffAwards

The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame will induct four new members in 2021. They are John L. Jackson of Sorrento, Florida; the late Lew J. Prosser of Plant City, Florida; Adam H. Putnam of Memphis, Tennessee; and Steven D. “Steve” Sorrells of Arcadia, Florida. They will be inducted during a luncheon tentatively scheduled for Nov. 5 at Florida Southern College …

Citrus Growers Dodge Freeze

Ernie Nefffreeze

Lindy Savelle received numerous calls and texts from relatively new southern Georgia citrus growers prior to a mild freeze the morning of Dec. 2. “They were asking, ‘What should I do?’” said Savelle, president of the Georgia Citrus Association. The new growers were concerned because lows of 26 and 28 that morning were the coldest in the region in several …

Figure 2. A drone may be used to deliver spot treatments.

Citrus Growers Tell What Technology They Use

Ernie NeffTechnology

Representatives of two Florida citrus-growing operations recently shared ways their companies have utilized drones, electronic sensors and advanced spray technology to enhance their operations. Joby Sherrod, director of grove operations for Duda & Sons, and Timothee Sallin, co-CEO of IMG Enterprises, were participants in a virtual Florida-Israel Agriculture Innovation Summit. Duda and IMG have approximately 11,000 acres and 10,000 acres …

Citrus Growers Honored for Conservation

Ernie NeffAwards, Environment

Two citrus growers are among 22 farmers and ranchers recently honored by the Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) in recognition of their superior natural resource conservation efforts. They are Travis Miller of DeSoto Grove in DeSoto County and Marlon Pendergrass of The Groves of Peace River in Hardee County. Each received the Farm Bureau’s County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship …

Alico Buys 3,280 Citrus Acres

Ernie NeffAcreage

On Oct. 30, Alico, Inc. purchased approximately 3,280 gross citrus acres in Hendry County for $16.45 million. John Kiernan, company president and chief executive officer, said, “This acquisition of the Alexander Grove from the well-respected Gardinier Florida Citrus, Inc. allows Alico to add additional scale to our existing 45,000 gross acres of citrus properties.” “This Alexander Grove appears to have …

Citrus Advisory System Provides PFD Alerts

Ernie NeffDiseases

Beep. Beep. Beep. That’s the sound of an alert telling a citrus grower it’s time to spray fungicide to help prevent fruit from falling off the tree due to postbloom fruit drop (PFD). University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers have developed a Citrus Advisory System (CAS) that sends web-based alerts to growers via mobile devices. …

Georgia Citrus Association Updates

Tacy CalliesGeorgia

Georgia Citrus Association (GCA) President Lindy Savelle provided information on the association during the recent Georgia Citrus Update webinar, presented by Fort Valley State University. According to Savelle, the fifth annual GCA Conference is still scheduled for Feb. 22 at the University of Georgia (UGA) Tifton Campus Conference Center. The association’s board of directors will meet later this month to …

citrus

Commissioner Fried on Citrus Forecast

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried offered the following statement on the initial citrus crop forecast for the 2020-21 season released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): “When Americans think of wellness and health, their thoughts turn to Florida orange juice and fresh citrus, especially during these unprecedented times. Despite the challenges that Florida’s citrus growers have faced as a …

Advice for Cold-Hardy Citrus Growers

Ernie NeffMarketing

North Florida citrus growers who are new to the industry received some marketing advice and background information recently from Vero Beach grower and packer Dan Richey. He gave a presentation during a virtual annual meeting of the Cold Hardy Citrus Association on Sept. 23. Richey, president and CEO of Riverfront Packing, urged the growers to have a plan and to …

Marketing North Florida Citrus

Ernie NeffMarketing

North Florida growers have planted several citrus groves in recent years. “A lot of those groves are starting to become productive,” Kevin Athearn said during a Sept. 23 Cold Hardy Citrus Association annual meeting, held virtually. Athearn, a regional specialized Extension agent, familiarized new citrus growers with some citrus terminology and suggested possible marketing strategies. “It’s important that we all …

orange

Fight Phytophthora Root Rot in Citrus

Josh McGillSponsored Content

Citrus growers need every available tool to fight disease, reduce tree stress and keep groves healthy against Phytophthora root rot. According to the University of Florida Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), Phytophthora root rot is one of the most important diseases threatening citrus yield. This disease can be caused by different species within the genus Phytophthora, a water mold in the …