Safeguarding Citrus From Heat Stress

Josh McGill Tip of the Week, Weather

By Amir Rezazadeh Rising temperatures and climate change challenges of recent years have brought a significant threat to citrus trees. Heat stress, caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures, poses a severe risk to citrus trees. Excessive soil evaporation, inconsistent rainfall and poor soil water-holding capacity can make trees even more sensitive to heat. High temperatures result in shortened internodes, …

Citrus Research Board to Host Webinar Series

Josh McGill California Corner, Education

California’s Citrus Research Board (CRB) has announced its 2023 Citrus Growers Educational Webinar Series. CRB will hold four one-hour webinars on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. The dates are June 6, 13, 20 and 27. Each webinar will highlight valuable research and practical discussions for growers. Here’s the lineup: JUNE 6Topic: Tree Density and Pruning Affect Fruit Numbers, Size, Quality and …

Rootstock Influences Cold-Hardiness in Sugar Belles 

Josh McGill freeze, Mandarins, Rootstocks

Sugar Belles on four different rootstocks in Georgia showed different levels of damage from the December 2022 freeze, reported Jake Price, Lowndes County Extension coordinator for University of Georgia Extension. The Sugar Belles at a Valdosta research plot planted in 2018 have put on the first flush of foliage after being mostly defoliated. The trees are snuggly located between windbreaks …

Don’t Rush Freeze Recovery

Josh McGill freeze

Do not apply recovery techniques immediately after a freeze, cold-hardy citrus growers were advised after freezes hit their groves in December 2022 and January 2023. The best strategy is to wait to observe new growth until at least late spring, researcher Muhammad Shahid told the Georgia Citrus Association at its recent annual meeting. Shahid is a University of Florida Institute …

Cold Acclimation Helping Trees Rebound From Freeze

Josh McGill Cold Hardy, freeze

Trees in the Sweet Valley Citrus region are more acclimated to cold temperatures than those in Central and South Florida. That is a reason that Bill Barber, Certified Crop Adviser and owner of Barber Ag Services, believes citrus trees in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama have rebounded well following the Christmas freeze event. “I first thought the worst. …

Freeze Recovery Advice

Josh McGill freeze

Winter Storm Elliott brought freezing temperatures to the cold-hardy region Dec. 24–28, 2022, resulting in significant injury to citrus. Danielle Williams, Muhammad Adnan Shahid and Mujahid Hussain, all with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), provided storm recovery advice in a recent edition of the Cold Hardy Citrus Connection newsletter. Following is a summary of …

Taking Care of Trees After the Five-Night Freeze

Josh McGill Cold Hardy, freeze

“To some extent, every citrus variety has suffered from cold damage” due to the five-night freeze event that occurred in the cold-hardy citrus region Dec. 24–28. That report comes from Jake Price, Lowndes County Extension coordinator for University of Georgia Extension. “The site of our citrus research plots in Valdosta reached a low of 16 degrees, which is the lowest …

mandarin

Techniques Tested on Mandarins in CUPS

Josh McGill CUPS, Mandarins, Tip of the Week

By Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi and Mark A. Ritenour Two independent trials were conducted under a commercial citrus under protective screen (CUPS) system. The first trial was to investigate canopy management strategies to improve fruit yield and quality of mandarins. Canopy management is essential for CUPS since the environment stimulates vigorous vegetative growth, posing operational challenges to mechanization that can be …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Growers Recall the Way It Used To Be

Tacy Callies Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette It’s hard to imagine how the early pioneers managed to grow, pick, pack and ship their fruit without the technological means we have today. In doing various oral history interviews this year, that point was really brought home to me. One grower recalled how irrigating his family’s grove meant moving the actual water pipes manually from …

diversification

Cold-Hardy Citrus Research Initiatives

Josh McGill Cold Hardy, Research

The Fruit Crop Physiology Lab at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy is focused on developing a sustainable and profitable cold-hardy citrus industry in the southern United States. To do that, it is conducting research-driven Extension projects. The NFREC is part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The lab collaborates …

Hurricane Season Is Here. Are You Prepared?

Josh McGill hurricane, Tip of the Week

By Amir Rezazadeh Every year, hurricanes and tropical storms can occur in Florida from June 1 to Nov. 30. Hurricanes and tropical storms damage citrus trees by blowing fruit off trees or from flooding due to too much rain or high tides. Also, high tides due to wind may cause rising water levels and saltwater flooding. The best practice for …

How to Reduce Bingo Tree Loss to Stem Dieback

Josh McGill Diseases, Research

By Christopher Vincent, Megan Dewdney and Liliana Cano Bingo mandarin hybrid is a variety with many promising characteristics, but it brings specific challenges to profitable production. One challenge identified early in the push to plant Bingo was stem dieback that led to tree loss. After looking into this problem for the past four years, University of Florida Institute of Food …

Fruit Size and Spraying Interval Are Key for Canker Control

Josh McGill Diseases, Research

The size of fruit that should be sprayed, the spraying interval and ways to avoid copper phytotoxicity were among the citrus canker topics plant pathologist Megan Dewdney offered growers recently. Dewdney said fruit are most susceptible to canker when they are between 3/8 inch and 1.5 inches in diameter. The fruit rind becomes much more resistant when the fruit is …

What to Do About Bingo Stem Dieback

Josh McGill Diseases, Research, Tip of the Week

By Christopher Vincent, Megan Dewdney and Liliana Cano Bingo is a relatively new and unfamiliar variety, which growers initially sought as a positive alternative. However, it presents some unique production challenges. Bingo is desirable because its high-quality, low-seeded fruits are ripe in October, a valuable harvest window for Florida growers. But in the early years of its propagation, some nurseries …

Freeze Damage: Preparation and Recovery

Josh McGill Tip of the Week

By Amir Rezazadeh Low temperatures can cause serious injury to leaf, wood and fruits of citrus trees. An extended freeze can kill a citrus tree. A rapid temperature decrease or a longer duration of freezing temperature can worsen the damage. Because preparation is paramount in protecting citrus trees, growers should use the Florida Automated Weather Network. The network provides information …

Limiting Pesticide Exposure

Tacy Callies Safety

By Ajia Paolillo When we are caught up in the everyday routine of our jobs, it can be easy to forget some essential safety precautions that all agricultural employees should be taking. All agricultural employees could be exposed to pesticides while working in a grove. Proper training is essential to ensure employees understand the risks associated with their jobs and …

Improving Productivity in Australia

Ernie Neff Production, Research

A new research and development program launched by Hort Innovation aims to arm growers in Australia with the tools they need to produce more fruit, including citrus, and nuts per hectare. Hort Innovation is a grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for the nation’s horticulture industry. ABOUT THE PROGRAMThe 5-year $28 million National Tree Crop Intensification in Horticulture Program will …

citrus

Techniques for Improving CUPS-Grown Fruit

Ashley Robinson CUPS, Research

For a citrus under protective screen (CUPS) production system to be profitable, the cost of the system must be offset by high yields of premium-quality fresh fruit with strong market prices. Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have expanded their CUPS research trials to investigate management strategies that improve fruit quality and yield. …

Spain’s Lemon Industry Aids Climate

Ernie Neff Industry News Release, International, lemons

Spain’s lemon industry “actively contributes to the fight against climate change by being a real carbon sink,” according to a recent report from the Lemon and Grapefruit Interprofessional Association (AILIMPO). A carbon sink accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compounds and thereby lowers the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Globally, the two most important carbon sinks are …

Growing Containerized Satsumas Under Screen

Ernie Neff CUPS, Research

Trials of containerized satsuma trees grown in a screened facility will soon begin in Louisiana, reported Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter horticulture Extension agent Anna Timmerman. She discussed the trials during the recent virtual 2021 LSU AgCenter Citrus Symposium. Research objectives include determining optimal planting density and yield. Field days for growers will likely be conducted in 2022, and a …