California Researchers Seek HLB Tolerance

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Research

University of California, Riverside (UCR) has received three federal grants totaling more than $11 million for research focused on instilling HLB-tolerance in citrus trees. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The funding was enabled by the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act, which authorized the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Development …

Costa Rica Orange Production to Decline

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast, International, Oranges

Production of oranges in Costa Rica in 2023–24 is expected to decline 15% from the prior year to 250,000 metric tons (MT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. The decline is a result of unfavorable weather conditions in Northern Costa Rica associated with an El Niño weather system. Two companies, TicoFrut and Del Oro, control …

pesticide resistance

Preventing Pesticide Resistance

Daniel CooperPesticides, Pests

By Lourdes Pérez Cordero Insects in general are often thought of as pests. Although some organisms of the class Insecta can become harmful to important agricultural crops, not all insects should inherently be considered pests. A pest can be any organism that competes, injures, or spreads diseases to humans, domestic animals and desired plants. Historically, humans have utilized chemical mixtures …

requirements

HLB Quarantine Requirements Updated for California

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Regulation

California’s Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division (CPDPD) has officially updated the requirements for moving bulk citrus fruit within and from a huanglongbing (HLB) quarantine area to a packer/processor. CPDPD is part of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Here’s an overview of the newly updated requirements, per the CPDPD’s Citrus Grower/Grove Manager Information page: All fruit, no matter …

quarantine

New HLB Quarantine Area for California

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Regulation

A newly established quarantine area has been declared following the detection of HLB in five trees in the Valley Center area of California’s San Diego County. The trees were located on a residential property with non-commercial citrus acreage. This is the first time the disease has been confirmed in Valley Center, marking the third area in San Diego County to …

acp

Follow Thresholds for ACP Control

Daniel CooperAll In For Citrus Podcast, HLB Management, Psyllids

One of the key components of managing HLB is keeping its vector, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), in check. Management recommendations for the pest have evolved over time. The history of that evolution is a subject of discussion in the November episode of the All In For Citrus podcast. Lukasz Stelinksi, an entomologist with the University of Florida Institute of …

medfly

Medfly Quarantine Expanded

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and state authorities in early November expanded the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata or Medfly) quarantine in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles County, California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) on Nov. 1 and again on Nov. …

lebbeck mealybug

New Knowledge on Lebbeck Mealybug Can Aid Control

Daniel CooperPests

Lebbeck mealybug populations are not tied to flush production, entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock reported recently. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor also noted: Diepenbrock sampled lebbeck mealybug populations in commercial citrus groves in Central Florida. Analysis of the seasonal trapping data provided easily observable trends. Based on these trends, she offers the following initial …

$5 Million Awarded to UF/IFAS for HLB Research

Josh McGillHLB Management, Research

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has been awarded five federal grants totaling more than $5 million to control HLB. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).   HLB is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). The Asian citrus psyllid can transmit CLas into a …

HLB Resources for California Growers

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, HLB Management

Recently, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) declared an HLB quarantine in Ventura County following the first detections of the disease in the county. In response, the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program (CPDPP) issued a list of HLB resources. The resources are intended to help inform the citrus industry about what changes to expect from the quarantine, …

Increase Yield With Shade

Josh McGillProduction, Tip of the Week

By Christopher Vincent, Yu Wang and Nabil Killiny  Mild shade reduces stress, increases growth and yield, and may improve pest management under huanglongbing (HLB). It reduces high temperature and water stresses. Shade also may reduce HLB transmission by making trees less visible to Asian citrus psyllids (ACP). Shaded trees have less ACP, and shade appears to reduce the severity of …

First HLB Detection in Ventura County

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner, HLB Management, Regulation

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has declared a quarantine in Ventura County following the detection of the citrus disease huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, in two citrus trees on one residential property in the city of Santa Paula. These detections are the first HLB-positive trees in Ventura County. CDFA is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture …

Young Tree Establishment Tools Compared

Josh McGillCitrus Expo, HLB Management

By Ernie Neff New tools available to aid in establishment of young citrus groves all have pros, cons and unknowns, entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock told a Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo audience in August. Diepenbrock is an entomologist and assistant professor with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. She opened her presentation by saying insecticides alone are …

Trunk Injection Research Projects Summarized

Josh McGillCRDF, HLB Management

The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) recently issued a report describing some of its projects testing the injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) into trees as an HLB treatment. 1. Lukasz Stelinski and Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski, both of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), are measuring the impact of OTC injection on the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) …

Return-on-Investment Potential of CUPS

Josh McGillCUPS, Economics, HLB Management

By Ariel Singerman and Arnold W. Schumann To exclude the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri) vector of huanglongbing (HLB) and thereby produce disease-free healthy fruit, fresh citrus can be grown under protective screen structures. The expected economic benefit from adopting citrus under protective screen (CUPS) and excluding the ACP is increased yield and quality of fruit, which in turn, are …

Land Grant Research Prioritization Act Introduced

Josh McGillLegislative, Research

U.S. senators from Florida and Georgia have introduced legislation authorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make priority research grants available for land-grant universities. The grants would fund research and development of agricultural applications of artificial intelligence (AI), advanced mechanized harvester technologies, invasive species control and aquaculture. The senators who introduced the Land Grant Research Prioritization Act are Marco …

Eliminate Fire Ants to Improve ACP Control

Josh McGillBiologicals, Pests

By Lukasz Stelinski Ants can be involved in mutualistic relationships with honeydew-producing hemipterans. Ants provide protection against their natural enemies, and in return, hemipterans reward ants with honeydew. Such mutualism may affect population regulation of hemipterans by third trophic level predators. However, current knowledge regarding the effects of this food-for-protection mutualism of ants with Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri) …

HLB in Florida Is a Warning to California

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, HLB Management

The damage that HLB has inflicted on Florida citrus groves and production over the past 18 years should serve as a warning for California producers, California’s Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program (CPDPP) stated recently. CPDPP noted that with HLB detected in thousands of California residential trees, it’s important for commercial growers to take steps to prevent the disease. According …

Awareness Campaign Battles HLB in Brazil

Josh McGillBrazil, HLB Management

Brazil’s Fundecitrus in 2022 and 2023 conducted an awareness campaign to replace citrus and myrtle plants to combat HLB in the municipality of Itobi, São Paulo. The citrus and myrtle plants were replaced with other fruit and ornamental species that do not host the Asian citrus psyllid that transmits HLB, also known as greening disease. These citrus and myrtle plants …

Long-Term Research Proves CUPS Performance

Josh McGillCUPS, Research

Arnold Schumann, a professor of soil fertility and water quality with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), led the effort to study the effectiveness of citrus under protective screen (CUPS) in protecting trees from HLB. The work resulted in growers having confidence in the practice. Today, Florida CUPS plantings are closing in on 1,000 commercial …