Phytophthora Root Rot Management

Tacy CalliesDiseases, Tip of the Week

By Evan G. Johnson As September winds down, the fall root flush is starting and will continue through November/December. This is the largest root flush of the year that stores carbohydrate reserves for next spring. Coming out of the rainy season, phytophthora has had the chance to build up plenty of inoculum, especially in groves with a history of root …

brazilian

Brazil Releases Updated Orange Crop Forecast

Tacy CalliesBrazil, Crop Forecast

Fundecitrus and its cooperators announced an update to Brazil’s 2020-2021 orange crop forecast on Sept. 10. The new figure for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt is 286.72 million boxes. This is 0.36 percent less oranges than the initial forecast released in May, and 25.87 percent less oranges than the 2019-2020 crop. The forecast represents one of …

Pest Management Under Bags

Ernie NeffCitrus Expo, Pests

Many Florida citrus growers in recent years have used individual protective covers (IPCs), often referred to as “bags,” for pest management, especially to protect young trees from HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids. Lauren Diepenbrock addressed the benefits and challenges of IPCs at this year’s virtual Citrus Expo. Diepenbrock is an assistant professor of entomology at the University of Florida Institute of …

Rootstock Effects on Valencia and Hamlin in Large-Scale Commercial Plantings

Tacy CalliesResearch, Rootstocks

By Ute Albrecht, Sudip Kunwar and Jude Grosser Prior to 1865, the only rootstocks used in Florida were sour orange and sweet orange. Use of grafted trees instead of seedling trees became necessary because of the devastating effects of phytophthora on sweet orange. Sour orange was widely used as a rootstock because of its resistance to phytophthora and other positive …

Lebbeck Mealybug Management Update

Ernie NeffPests

An update on lebbeck mealybug, a relatively new pest of Florida citrus, was provided recently by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock. Diepenbrock, who works at the Citrus Research and Education Center, prepared the presentation for the April Florida Citrus Growers Institute, which was canceled due to COVID-19. Lebbeck mealybug was found in …

HLB Update for North Florida, South Georgia

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening

Since 2018, there have been no huanglongbing (HLB) finds in commercial citrus groves in North Florida, and there have still been no disease detections in Georgia groves. In North Florida, HLB was detected in groves in Live Oak in Suwanee County and Perry in Taylor County in 2018, reported Xavier Martini, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …

Sneak Peek: June 2020 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

Florida’s citrus harvest may be winding down for the season, but tree care continues year-round. The June issue of Citrus Industry magazine includes two timely articles on summer tree care practices. In the first article, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers Fernando Alferez and Tripti Vashisth discuss techniques to improve fruit quality and yield during …

brazilian

Brazil Expects Much Smaller Orange Crop

Tacy CalliesBrazil, Crop Forecast

Brazil released its first orange crop forecast for the 2020-21 season on May 11. According to a report published by Fundecitrus and its cooperators, 287.76 million boxes are expected for the season for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt. The projected figure is 25.6 percent smaller than the previous crop of 386.79 million boxes, and 12.5 percent …

UF/IFAS Working Through COVID-19

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast, COVID-19

Whether in the field or from home, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus staffers are working for growers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center at Lake Alfred, tells how. “We still are doing business right now,” Rogers says. “IFAS continues to provide support in any way …

production

Production Benefits of Gibberellic Acid

Ernie NeffProduction

Gibberellic acid (GA), a plant growth regulator (PGR), has the potential to aid production. It can reduce citrus flowering, improve fruit size, reduce fruit drop and possibly improve tree health, says researcher Tripti Vashisth. Vashisth is a horticulturist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake …

brazilian

Brazil Releases Season’s Final Orange Crop Forecast

Tacy CalliesBrazil, Crop Forecast

Brazil reported it will produce 386.79 million boxes of oranges in the 2019–20 season. This is the final forecast for the season and includes production from the São Paulo, Triângulo Mineiro and West-Southwest Minas Gerais Citrus Belt. Fundecitrus, in cooperation with Markestrat, FEA-RP/USP and FCAV/Unesp2, published the forecast on April 9. It represents a decrease of 0.54 percent compared to …

Now Is the Time to Watch for PFD

Ernie NeffPFD

With bloom breaking out in Florida citrus groves, plant pathologist Megan Dewdney recommended growers keep an eye out for postbloom fruit drop (PFD). Dewdney works for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred.  “We have actually observed some diseased flowers,” Dewdney said March 3 at an OJ …

Nutrition: No One Size Fits All

Tacy CalliesNutrition, Research

By Tripti Vashisth Constant supply and soil application of macronutrients and micronutrients can improve the health and productivity of HLB-affected citrus. A 20 to 50 percent higher than University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) recommended rate of micronutrients is beneficial for HLB-affected trees. However, the nutrition program should be customized for each grove, as no one …

Citrus Leprosis Poses a Threat to Florida

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Amit Levy, Ozgur Batuman, Peggy Sieburth and Lauren Diepenbrock Citrus leprosis is an exotic viral disease not currently present in Florida. This disease is of interest since it was reported in citrus in Florida and Brazil in the early 1900s, where it caused great crop and tree losses, but it was eliminated from Florida in the early 1960s. Currently, …

Planning for Foliar Disease Management in 2020

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Megan Dewdney and Evan Johnson In 2019, the trend of fewer problems with foliar fungal diseases for Florida citrus continued, which was good news for the industry. Despite the El Niño conditions during the spring, little postbloom fruit drop (PFD) was observed because the temperatures were low (< 75 F) when it rained during bloom. The southern parts of …

aphis

Black Spot Scouting and Control

Ernie Neffblack spot

“The most important time to scout for black spot is when the fruit begin to change color,” said University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist Megan Dewdney. She has seen color change for Valencia oranges, the most commonly infected variety, from December to March. But she added it is usually late-February to early-March when citrus black …

Sneak Peek: February 2020 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The February issue of Citrus Industry magazine lets growers know what diseases to be on the lookout for this season and how best to spot them in the grove. University of Florida (UF) researchers Megan Dewdney and Evan Johnson give citrus growers tips on planning for disease management in 2020 in their article. Citrus canker, greasy spot, melanose, black spot …

Purple Guts? You’ve Got Lebbeck Mealybugs!

Ernie NeffPests

One of Lauren Diepenbrock’s props at a Jan. 14 OJ break at the Citrus Research and Education Center was a paper plate bearing the message “Easy diagnostic: smashed lebbeck mealybug = purple guts.” Diepenbrock, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist, explains the meaning of the plate’s message. UF/IFAS researcher Lance Osborne found a lebbeck …

Citrus Pest Management: More Than Just Psyllids

Tacy CalliesPests

By Lauren Diepenbrock Non-psyllid, soft-bodied insects are common in Florida citrus. Their ability to cause damage varies by pest, pest population size, tree age and tree variety. Soft-bodied insects include scales, mealybugs, whiteflies and aphids, all of which are small and can be hard to detect until the telltale sign of sooty mold development appears on their excrement (honeydew) or …

Orange Opportunities

Tacy CalliesVarieties

New sweet orange cultivars for processing can be harvested throughout the Florida citrus season. By Jude Grosser, Fred Gmitter and Bill Castle Florida orange juice has always been the gold standard among the growing portfolio of fruit juices and blends available to consumers. However, the now endemic citrus greening disease or huanglongbing (HLB) threatens this status by causing reduced fruit …