By Megan Dewdney It is late summer or early fall, and the usual time to consider brown rot treatment options has passed. However, you smell a sharp fermented fruit odor. When you look closer, fruit have the telltale soft brown lesions of brown rot. What options exist to minimize losses now? It is too late for the traditional control options …
Factors to Consider When Planting a New Grove
Growers have numerous things to think about when planting a new grove. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus genetic improvement specialist John Chater discussed this topic during a recent Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo presentation. Following are highlights from his talk on establishing new varieties in a new citrus grove. PESTS AND DISEASES Soilborne pests …
The Relationship Between Roots and OTC Treatments
Back in the early days of the HLB fight, it was observed that what is going on underground in citrus tree root systems is just as important as what is happening aboveground. In 2013, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service researchers published that 27% to 40% root loss due …
Sneak Peek: June 2024 Citrus Industry
The Citrus Achievement Award has been honoring outstanding industry leaders since 2001. Recipients were previously recognized in Florida Grower magazine. With the consolidation of Florida Grower and Specialty Crop Industry magazines to create Specialty Crop Grower, the award now has a new home in Citrus Industry magazine. The move was made possible by award sponsor TJ BioTech. The June issue …
Where to Watch for Diaprepes Root Weevil
By Larry Duncan Prior to the introduction of citrus greening disease in Florida, certain conventions applied to the occurrence and impact of diaprepes root weevil in groves across the state. The abundance and damage potential of this major pest were greatest in some Flatwoods habitats, such as parts of the inland East Coast where newly planted trees sustained major damage. …
Site Selection Key When Planting Citrus
Before growers in the cold-hardy citrus region plant their first trees, they need to ensure the planting site is viable for production. Muhammad Shahid, assistant professor of horticulture at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, talked about the importance of site selection at the recent Citrus Health Forum held in Quincy, Florida. “You have to think …
HLB Tools for Today and Tomorrow
By Frank Giles and Tacy Callies The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo hosted two citrus educational sessions during the Aug. 16–17 event held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The sessions included both long-term research aimed at delivering trees resistant to HLB as well as what growers can do today to help mitigate the effects of the disease in …
Diaprepes Root Weevil Update for Florida
Florida’s populations of Diaprepes abbreviatus root weevil have been uncharacteristically low so far in 2023, entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock reported recently. The adult pests are normally active in April–May and in the fall, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences assistant professor noted. Prior to the discovery of HLB disease in Florida in 2005, growers who had extensive …
What To Do When Groves Flood
By Mongi Zekri During heavy rains in the summer, excess water must be removed from the root zone. Flooding injury can be expected if the root zone is saturated for three days or more during extended summer rains at relatively high soil temperatures (86 to 95 degrees). Flooding during the cooler December–March period can be tolerated for several weeks at …
Brown Rot Could Be on the Horizon for Florida
By Megan Dewdney It is summer in Florida, and the early fruit are maturing. This is always a risky time for brown rot in early sweet oranges and grapefruit cultivars. The summer rains have been happening, but they have been intermittent depending on location. This means that phytophthora propagule counts may vary depending on how much rain has occurred in …
Recovery Will Require a Multipronged Management Program
By Michael Rogers The 2022–23 Florida harvest season is now behind us. Yield losses magnified by the weather events this past season position the next couple of years as “make or break” for many growers. The lingering effects of hurricane Ian will impact next season’s crop as trees continue to recover and balance out canopy regrowth with fruit production. Despite …
Update on Fungicides for Citrus
In a recent webinar, Jim Adaskaveg, University of California, Riverside professor and plant pathologist, discussed some recently registered fungicides to manage phytophthora and other fungal diseases of citrus. Orondis was registered in 2018, Presidio in 2019 and Revus in 2020. Adaskaveg said Orondis and Revus each contain a new active ingredient with a different mode of action and provide a …
Sting Nematodes and IPCs
By Larry Duncan and Fernando Alferez Newly planted citrus trees are far less tolerant of pests and diseases than when mature. Sting nematode (Belonolaimus longicaudatus) was not considered a serious economic threat to Florida citrus until successive hard freezes in the 1980s caused widespread replanting of groves. Patches of stunted, declining trees caused by the irregular distribution of sting nematodes …
Sneak Peek: February 2023 Citrus Industry
With more growers incorporating compost and organic amendments into their production, weed management is receiving increased attention. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) authors Ramdas Kanissery and Mahesh Bashyal take on this topic in their article in the February 2023 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. While compost and organic amendments can increase soil health and boost …
Trunk Injection Not a Silver Bullet for HLB
Although trunk injection of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) has received much recent press for its promise in managing HLB, there is still no silver bullet for the devastating disease. That was part of plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman’s message at a Dec. 10 seminar addressing HLB and other citrus diseases that may exacerbate HLB’s effects on trees. “There is no single effective …
Diaprepes in Florida Citrus: Past, Present and Future
By Lukasz L. Stelinski, Lauren Diepenbrock and Larry Duncan Given the focus on HLB in citrus management for more than a decade, important additional pests of citrus have sometimes not received the attention they may deserve. Trees with HLB are weakened and prone to succumb to the effects of the disease when challenged by secondary affliction(s), including infestation by diaprepes …
Post-Hurricane Disease Management Advice
Megan Dewdney, associate professor of plant pathology with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), joined the October All In For Citrus podcast to discuss Hurricane Ian and tips on disease management after the storm. Hurricanes weaken citrus trees and spread disease. “If a tree has a full canopy, the wind will put a lot of …
Evolution of Sting Nematode Integrated Pest Management
By Homan Regmi, Larry Duncan and Johan Desaeger Two field trials were initiated in a Polk County, Florida, commercial grove of 15-month-old Valencia on Kuharske trees in 2019 to measure the effectiveness of integrated pest management (IPM) tactics for managing sting nematodes (Belonolaimus longicaudatus). Six chemical nematicides, many newly released, were compared in one trial. In the second, perennial peanut …
Preventing Further Hurricane Damage in Groves
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty recommend actions citrus growers can take to prevent further damage to root systems and future fruit drop following Hurricane Ian. DEAL WITH PHYTOPHTHORAIf standing water has occurred in groves with phytophthora problems, growers should evaluate for root damage and treat accordingly. Floodwaters resulting from heavy rains can severely impact …
Stay Current With Research on Rootstocks
By Jude Grosser The ultimate solution to the HLB problem is having good rootstocks that can mitigate or eliminate the disease’s impacts in any grafted commercial scion. With this, growers could profitably grow any scion, including grapefruit, Hamlin or even Murcott. Thus, rootstock breeding efforts focus on directly screening new rootstock hybrids for their ability to confer HLB tolerance or …