nurseries

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Programs Benefit Nurseries

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source

By Peter Chaires The 2024–25 citrus season is another challenging one for Florida’s valued citrus nurseries. Uncertainty has been the consummate challenge for nurseries trying to anticipate grower needs. One large nursery grower recently interviewed believes that door-yard propagations are now nearing commercial propagations. Who would have ever thought we would see this happen? However, after a dismal 2022–23 propagation …

zinc

Zinc Increases Yield by Reducing Fruit Drop

Daniel CooperFruit Drop, HLB Management, Nutrition

Different formulations of zinc applied by foliar spray increase fruit yield by reducing fruit drop in Hamlin and Valencia oranges, according to horticulturist Fernando Alferez. In some cases, he said, potassium enhances the beneficial effects of zinc. Alferez is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center …

HLB-tolerant varieties

Options for Planting Profitable Citrus Varieties

Daniel CooperBreeding, Rootstocks, Varieties

By Maegan Beatty On Feb. 18, Jude Grosser and Fred Gmitter hosted an online informational session on new citrus varieties and how to plant a profitable crop in the future. Both Grosser and Gmitter are part of the citrus improvement team at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center. Their main …

top

Top Florida Citrus Varieties and Rootstocks

Daniel Coopernursery, Rootstocks, Varieties

Sour orange jumped six spots from the prior year to become the most-budded rootstock in Florida citrus nurseries in 2023–24. Rootstock US-942 had held the top spot for at least the last three years. Valencia SPB-1-14-19 easily maintained its spot as the most-budded variety clone. It has held the top spot for at least four straight years.  The number of …

new varieties

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: New Varieties Released

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source, Varieties

By Peter Chaires On October 24, 2024, the University of Florida’s (UF) Cultivar Release Committee unanimously approved the release of seven citrus varieties to Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. Florida Statutes now require that, before being released to the general public, any new variety of citrus developed as a result of any research or study accomplished using any percentage of …

Orange Crop

Update to Brazil’s Orange Crop Forecast

Daniel CooperBrazil, Crop Forecast

Fundecitrus and its cooperators released an orange crop forecast on Feb. 10. Total production is forecast to be 228.52 million boxes for 2024–25. This is a 2.4% increase from the December forecast of 223.14 million boxes, but a decrease of 1.7% from the season’s initial orange estimate that was released in May. This forecast is for the São Paulo and …

brassinosteroids

When to Apply Brassinosteroids to Improve Valencia Fruit Quality

Daniel CooperPGRs, Tip of the Week

By Fernando Alferez and Divya Aryal Like the work being done with Hamlin sweet orange, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are studying the effect of brassinosteroids (BRs) on the internal maturation of Valencia sweet orange fruits. The conditions of the treatments are the same as in Hamlin: A treatment of 186 milliliters of BR …

survey

Survey Shows Popular Scions and Rootstocks

Daniel CooperRootstocks, Survey, Varieties

The Florida Citrus State of the Industry Survey seeks input from growers on key issues affecting their groves. The survey has been conducted for many years, has tracked the trajectory of HLB and reported on production practices. While not a scientific survey, it has reflected general trends over the years. Last month, we published results on trunk-injection therapy and the …

Mexican

Positive Gains for Mexican Orange and OJ Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently forecast that Mexican orange and orange juice (OJ) production will both increase slightly in 2024–25. ORANGES Orange production is forecast at 5.05 million metric tons (MMT), 2% more than the previous season. Mexico ranks fourth worldwide in the production of oranges with 10% of total production. It trails only Brazil, …

oxytetracycline

Lessons From Oxytetracycline Injection Trials

Daniel CooperHLB Management

By Ute Albrecht, Carol Tardivo, Gabriel Pugina, Larissa Nunes, Jasmine de Freitas and Gerardo Moreno Since the approval of oxytetracycline (OTC) injection to manage citrus greening (huanglongbing, HLB) in Florida, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant physiology team at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) has completed various research trials with multiple …

nutrient management

Rejuvenate HLB Trees With Precision Nutrient Management

Daniel CooperNutrition, Tip of the Week

By Meryam Manzoor, Jamie D. Burrow, Taylor Livingston and Tripti Vashisth Effective nutrient management and accurate nutritional analysis are critical for tree growth and maximum yield. Historically, nutrient management for healthy citrus trees involved annual leaf sampling from July to August, with subsequent fertilization plans based on a single nutrient analysis. Almost all commercial citrus groves in Florida are affected …

IPCs

Combine IPCs and Brassinosteroids to Prolong Young Tree Health

Daniel CooperIPCs, Tip of the Week

By Fernando Alferez and Saoussen Ben Abdallah The risk of citrus plantings to become infected with HLB is especially high for young trees, which flush frequently and attract more psyllids than mature trees. Individual protective covers (IPCs) are now being increasingly adopted to protect newly planted citrus trees from psyllid colonization. However, even though IPCs effectively protect young trees from …

orange and tangerine

Orange and Tangerine Production in Argentina

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Argentine orange and tangerine production are both forecast to decline in 2024–25 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS). Orange production is projected at 620,000 metric tons (MT), down from 760,000 MT the prior year. Tangerine production is projected at 200,000 MT, down from 280,000 MT. REGIONS AND VARIETIES Sweet citrus is grown in both the …

two

Two New Early-Season Sweet Oranges for Florida Growers

Daniel CooperTip of the Week, Varieties

By Manjul Dutt, Sheetal Ramekar and Gary England Developing new citrus cultivars, whether through conventional breeding or genetic engineering methods like transgenics or CRISPR is potentially the most viable long-term strategy to combat huanglongbing (HLB). Identifying potential survivor trees — citrus trees that exhibit disease tolerance in areas with endemic HLB — can also serve as a useful strategy for …

controls

Controls Needed to Effectively Evaluate Treated Trees

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Ute Albrecht, Gabriel Pugina and Caroline Tardivo Two years have passed since trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) was approved for HLB management in Florida. Many growers have adopted this technology. While most reported positive responses, others did not. The plant physiology team at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education …

orange

Brazil Releases Update to Orange Forecast

Daniel CooperBrazil, Crop Forecast

Fundecitrus and its cooperators released a second update to the 2024–25 orange crop forecast for Brazil’s São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais Citrus Belt. The Dec. 10 projection is 223.14 million 90-pound boxes. That’s an increase of 3.4% from September’s update but a 4% decrease from the initial May forecast of 232.38 million boxes. The forecast by orange variety, with …

maturity standards

Juice Maturity Standards Eased; Varieties Approved for Licensing

Daniel CooperFlorida Citrus Commission, Varieties

Update as of 12-2-24: For the period beginning 12:00 a.m. on Dec. 2, 2024, and ending at 11:59 p.m. on May 23, 2025, maturity standards in regard to ratio are suspended for all grapefruit including field run and eliminations. This emergency rule supersedes Emergency Rule 20ER24-4. At the request of Florida processor and grower associations, the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) …

root recovery

Positive Early Harvest Reports

Daniel CooperHarvesting, HLB Management, OTC Expert

Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions on trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: Are there any 2024–25 early harvest reports that have come from citrus growers using ReMedium TI®? Tom Johnson: Yes. There are several reports, but some of the numbers still need to be confirmed before they are reported. However, I …

flame

New Flame Grapefruit Selection Offers Improved HLB Tolerance

Daniel CooperGrapefruit, Tip of the Week, Varieties

By Manjul Dutt, Sheetal Ramekar and Gary England The grapefruit was created by chance from a cross between a pummelo and a sweet orange. It was first discovered in Barbados in the 18th century. All the commercially sold grapefruits today trace their roots back to the Duncan variety of grapefruit. Cultivars existing today were developed through natural and induced mutations …

budget

Citrus Commission Approves Budget and Other Actions

Daniel CooperFlorida Citrus Commission, Florida Department of Citrus

The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) in October approved a 2024–25 operating budget for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) and heard about marketing programs the budget will fund. The FCC also approved citrus varieties to be included in the 2024 Program for Expedited Propagation. BUDGET AND ASSESSMENT RATES The FCC approved a $21.75 million operating budget for the FDOC. It …