By Lauren Diepenbrock In the past few years, several citrus growers have been impacted by yet another non-native pest in their groves. This time it is not an insect or mite; it’s a snail. Bulimulus sporadicus is a relatively new pest to Florida, first found in Duval County in 2009. It has quickly moved throughout much of the state, causing …
PepsiCo to Sell Tropicana
PepsiCo, Inc. announced Aug. 3 that it has entered into an agreement with PAI Partners (PAI) to sell Tropicana, Naked and other select juice brands across North America. It also entered into an irrevocable option to sell certain juice businesses in Europe. PepsiCo said the actions will result in combined pretax cash proceeds of approximately $3.3 billion while retaining a …
CRDF on Plant Breeding and Peptides
Plant breeding, project terminations and peptide discussions dominated the July 27 meeting of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation’s (CRDF) board of directors. CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler provided the following report: PLANT BREEDINGWe continue to believe that plant breeding will ultimately be how we put HLB in the rearview mirror. As a result, we continue to put a …
World Orange and OJ Production to Rise
Worldwide orange and orange juice (OJ) production are projected to climb in the 2020-21 market year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported recently. ORANGESGlobal orange output for 2020-21 is estimated up 2.5 million tons from the previous year to 48.6 million as favorable weather leads to a larger crop in Brazil (up 7%) and Mexico (up …
Before You Spray
By Matt Smith 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. We often think about pesticide safety and best management practices when we are in the field spraying. You’re outside, you’re …
Central Florida Grove Prices Tumble
Central Florida grove land sold for about 30% less per net tree acre in 2020 than the year before, according to a firm that sells much Florida land. Brian Beasley, senior advisor at SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler in Lakeland, reported the sales in the firm’s Lay of the Land 2020 Market Report. “We assume most of this decrease (in prices) …
Cover Crops Promising, But …
Scientist Sarah Strauss has learned some interesting and promising things about the use of cover crops in Southwest Florida citrus over the past 2.5 years. But the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher has not yet found that cover crops provide what growers seek most — increased yields. Use of the crops has also not yet …
Interplanting Improves Wasp Control
Lucerne (also known as alfalfa) interplanting improved citrus gall wasp (CGW) control in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW). The interplanting is practiced by some citrus growers in NSW to suppress weeds, reduce soil compaction and improve soil fertility. Jianhua Mo of the NSW Department of Primary Industries addressed the matter; a summary of Mo’s comments follows. One possible explanation is …
Treating Pathogens Without Antibiotics
Federal researchers announced that they have found an innovative way to treat pathogens (harmful bacteria) and pests in citrus trees and potato and tomato plants without the use of antibiotics. The researchers are with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The research was done in collaboration with the University of Florida and AUM LifeTech Inc. The …
U.S. Grapefruit Exports to France Threatened
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service, a new French ban on the sale of fruits and vegetables with identifying stickers could threaten future exports of U.S. grapefruit. The ban is slated to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2022. The USDA report states that most U.S. grapefruit and some sweet potatoes shipped overseas have stickers that …
CUPS Tree Growth Surprises Growers
Brothers Jerry and Keith Mixon have been surprised by how well trees grow in their citrus under protective screen (CUPS) facilities in Alturas, Florida. “All of the varieties we are growing have responded amazingly,” they said recently about their CUPS experience. Though each brother has his own CUPS structures, they jointly discussed their results. The brothers have a combined 130 …
Maximizing Rootstock Seed Production
By Fernando Alferez, Deived Uilian de Carvalho, Daniel Boakye, Tim Gast and Manjul Dutt Endemic HLB in Florida has provoked increased pressure to replant and reset infected groves. This has resulted in concern from citrus growers and nursery operators about seed availability for the most popular rootstocks in the state. In the past, all rootstock fruit (both early and late …
Improved Orange Cultivars
Improved sweet orange cultivars for processing and fresh fruit were the topic of a virtual presentation July 14 by plant breeder Jude Grosser. Grosser works at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. HAMLIN SOMACLONE N13-32This new and distinct early-season clone of Hamlin has improved juice color and …
Turkey: Lemons Up, Grapefruit Down
Lemon production in Turkey climbed in 2020-2021, but grapefruit production is expected to decline, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. LEMONSLemon production reached 1.1 million metric tons, which is 13% more than in the 2019-20 season. Lemons have a longer season compared to oranges and tangerines in Turkey because different lemon varieties ripen at different times …
Keeping Young Ag Workers Safe
The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) announced resources that can be used to help keep young agriculture workers safe. NCCRAHS pointed out that there are serious risks to children doing farm work, as well as positives. During the past decade, more youth have died working in agriculture than in all other industries combined, the …
Mandarin Production Rises Sharply in EU
Mandarin production in the European Union (EU) in 2020-21 is forecast to rise 21% from the previous year, to 3.4 million metric tons. The forecast, reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, is almost 10% higher than the union’s 9-year average of 3.1 million metric tons. The higher production this season is mainly the result of expected …
Cutrale Achieves Sustainability Gold Score
Cutrale recently announced it has achieved a gold score in sustainability for all its orange farms in Brazil and the United States. The award is from the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) – Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA), a widely recognized sustainability standard. The FSA was developed by the SAI to enable food and beverage businesses from all crops and countries to …
Time for Brown Rot Management
By Evan Johnson The Florida summer rainy season is in full swing, and there have been one or two root flushes by now. This is a good environment for increases in soil Phytophthora propagule counts. High counts have been seen this year, especially in Southwest Florida. While much of the focus may be on root rot, it is important to …
More Hurricanes Predicted
The Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Atmospheric Science on July 8 increased its predicted number of hurricanes in 2021 to nine, up from eight in its June forecast. It also increased the expected number of named storms to 20, up from 18 in the June forecast. This is expected to be an above-average Atlantic basin hurricane season. The average …
Indian River Millennium Block Shows Rootstock Effects
By Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi, J. Martin Zapien-Macias, Mac Hossain, Tom James, Ronald D. Cave, Peter Spyke, William S. Castle, Jude W. Grosser, Fred Gmitter and Ed Stover In the last decade, huanglongbing (HLB) has reduced production of Florida grapefruit by 75%, mandarin by 78% and sweet orange by 52%. This decrease is significant for the Indian River District, which produces …