By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Sandra M. Guzmán Pests and diseases, nutrient deficiencies, tree stress from environmental conditions and other factors can be overwhelming. The arrival of sensors and small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) make it possible to gather large amounts of data to assess risk factors and estimate possible crop performance scenarios based on the availability of resources. At the …
Managing Macronutrients and Micronutrients
By Davie Kadyampakeni Nutrients are needed for optimal citrus tree growth, fruit yields and juice quality. Any nutrient deficiencies could result in low yields and decreased revenue. Make sure citrus trees receive adequate macronutrients and micronutrients at all times. Macronutrients are those nutrients needed in large quantities to influence yield, growth and fruit quality. Macronutrients are further divided into two …
Unlock Soil Nutrients to Benefit Your Citrus Grove
Florida citrus growers are facing a rising mound of challenges these days. With citrus greening disease (HLB) devastating groves, low supply, soaring fertilizer prices and a substantial increase in overall production costs, the current odds are stacked high against citrus growers. This is an industry in crisis. Fortunately, science is catching up with new solutions to combat these urgent issues. …
Selecting the Right Leaves for Sampling
By Jamie D. Burrow and Tripti Vashisth With the increased cost and limited availability of fertilizer, purchasing decisions are more important now than ever. Collecting the right leaves for sampling is the first step to making fertilizer decisions. Leaf samples should consist of 100 leaves that are 4- to 6-month-old spring flush leaves taken from nonfruiting branches. WHY LEAVES FROM …
An Update on Oak Mulch to Increase Soil Health
By Lukas M. Hallman, John M. Santiago and Lorenzo Rossi At first glance, one may not see how oak trees relate to citrus production. But in the early 2010s, growers and scientists reported seeing little to no HLB symptoms on citrus growing underneath the dripline of oak trees compared to citrus trees nearby but not directly under oak trees. These …
Heritage Practices for Today’s Challenges
By Brad Turner Cover cropping and composting in Florida citrus production are not new concepts. Our ancestors understood the basic principles and implemented these practices just a couple of generations ago. YESTERDAY AND TODAYAs a boy, I can remember an old citrus grower telling me how beggarweed and crotalaria, both native nitrogen-fixing legumes, growing wild in neighboring fields would be …
Consequences of Skyrocketing Fertilizer Prices
By Ariel Singerman and Stephen H. Futch Chemical input prices have increased significantly over the last year. In particular, the price of fertilizer has roughly doubled during the last 12 months, as denoted by Figure 1. Figure 1. Producer Price Index of Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Supply and demand factors help explain such an …
Nutritional Lessons Learned From the Field and in the Wild
By Brad Turner In the 1970s, the majority of my family’s groves in Hillsborough, Polk and Hardee counties remained on a 25-foot by 25-foot setting or wider. Most of these “old school” blocks received several light cultivations in both directions, two fertilizations and two foliar sprays per season. These groves contained some of the most grand and bountiful trees in …
Sneak Peek: April 2022 Citrus Industry
Increased attention on nutrition has become part of the overall strategy for managing HLB. The April issue of Citrus Industry magazine includes several articles on nutrient management designed to help growers keep trees productive in the HLB era. Mandarin growers will want to take note of new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research on how …
Scott Water Farm to Store Water and Improve Its Quality
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with state and local officials last month to celebrate the Scott Water Farm. The farm is a public-private partnership with Evans Properties, Inc. in Indian River and Okeechobee counties. Its purpose is to store water and improve water quality. The farm will store more than 9 billion gallons of …
Improving Color Break and Brix in CUPS
Arnold Schumann recently reported on what he called “the most successful and practical intervention for improving color break and quality in CUPS fresh fruit.” CUPS stands for citrus under protective screen, a growing technique that Schumann, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher, helped pioneer in Florida. He reported on his work at a Feb. …
Florida Citrus Nutrition Recommendations to Be Updated
The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference held in Savannah in early January included a session on citrus production to educate growers. Kelly Morgan, professor of soil fertility and water management with the University of Florida, spoke to attendees about newly updated production guides and their relationship to plant nutrition and HLB. Morgan noted that the third edition of the …
Florida Grower Citrus Show Agenda Set
Researchers Mark Ritenour and Sandra Guzmán with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) outline the agenda for the Florida Grower Citrus Show on Jan. 26-27 in Fort Pierce. Ritenour and Guzmán, both of the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center, will be presenters at the show. Ritenour will discuss maximum residue tolerances for fruit …
Pest Management: A New Approach to an Age-Old Challenge
By Brad Turner From a family with deep Florida roots, I have over 40 years of experience in commercial citrus production. I learned the industry from the ground up by working in the family groves while studying citrus production at Florida Southern College. I have owned a citrus nursery, my own groves and a citrus caretaking business. I have also …
HLB Changed UF/IFAS Recommendations
Kelly Morgan recently summarized several recommended changes in Florida citrus production practices brought on by the devastating disease HLB. Morgan is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) soil and water science professor. He discussed what growers need to know to follow best management practices (BMPs) at the recent Citrus Nutrition Day at the UF/IFAS Citrus …
Nutrition and Yield in the Face of HLB
Fertilization frequency, micronutrient management and rootstocks can all impact the yield of HLB-affected sweet oranges, Tripti Vashisth recently told a Citrus Nutrition Day audience in Lake Alfred, Florida. The educational event was held at the Citrus Research and Education Center, where Vashisth is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticulturist. FERTILIZATION FREQUENCYHLB-affected trees should be …
An Improved Method of Nutrient Analysis
By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht Optimizing nutrition is important for tree health and productivity and can improve tolerance to stresses and diseases. Good nutrient management requires regular field monitoring to identify problems and examine crop responses. Leaves need to be collected and sent to a specialized laboratory for detailed information on macronutrients and micronutrients, which is time-consuming and costly. …
Florida Citrus BMPs: Update and Suggestions
Work on finalizing a newly revised citrus best management practices (BMPs) manual has slowed, and that’s a good thing, according to Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA) Executive Director Ray Royce. In a recent HCCGA newsletter article, he stated that a number of issues, especially related to nutrient management and application efficiency, need to be better understood. “It is the …
Irrigation and Nutrient Management BMPs
A Citrus Expo presentation about best management practices (BMPs) focused on what growers should be doing now in their irrigation and nutrient management programs. The presentation noted that current BMPs were developed prior to HLB’s discovery in Florida in 2005, and that studies are underway to revise the citrus BMPs for nitrogen and phosphorus. The presentation was created by University …
What CRAFT Wants for Cycle III
Five Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Technical Working Group leaders on Aug. 31 discussed the types of projects they’d like to see CRAFT Cycle III growers pursue. The types of projects the leaders expressed interest in will, to some extent, fill gaps in knowledge expected to be gained from previous cycles. CRAFT pays Florida growers to plant trees on …