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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “IMG citrus”
Editor’s Note (Feb. 20, 2019): The name of the program has been changed from the Grower Replanting Initiative Program to the Citrus Research and Field Trial Program. According to Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has given “concept approval” for massive Florida grower field trials to determine what existing research might work in the …
By Megan Dewdney The Florida citrus-growing seasons of 2017 and 2018 were quiet in terms of fungal foliar disease outbreaks. Small pockets of severe disease occurred sporadically, but there were no widespread reports of diseases like postbloom fruit drop, much to the relief of the industry. Greasy spot has flared up in a few locations on cultivars like Valencia, and …
Soon-to-exit South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) governing board members offered parting comments at the SFWMD governing board meeting in West Palm Beach. The entire board was asked to resign and put under pressure to do so by Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Florida Congressman Brian Mast, who is advising the governor on agricultural and environmental issues. The resignations were …
Mark Ritenour, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) post-harvest Extension specialist, provided updates about food-safety requirements at the recent Florida Citrus Show in Fort Pierce. His focus was on impacts fresh fruit growers and packers will feel from the Food Safety Modernization Act’s requirement that the Food and Drug Administration rewrite its Produce Safety Rule. Ritenour …
Individual protective covers (IPCs) on young trees have prevented HLB infection in one year of study, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher said. Fernando Alferez, citrus horticulturist at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC), announced his promising results at the recent Florida Citrus Show in Fort Pierce. “They (IPCs) are protecting the …
Imagine using a robotic arm to grip and puncture the trunk of a citrus tree to deliver chemicals into the vascular parts of the plant, reducing its susceptibility to the citrus greening disease. Ozgur Batuman, an assistant professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), leads a team of researchers trying to …
Jackie Burns, who retired in January as dean for research at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), discusses HLB, mechanical harvesting and other citrus issues on which she worked. Burns was a long-time scientist at the Citrus Research and Education Center and later director of the center before becoming dean for research. Burns said going …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the January and February citrus crop forecasts on Feb. 8. January’s forecast had been delayed due to the government shutdown. JANUARYJanuary’s forecast showed a decrease in Florida grapefruit, tangelo and tangerine production compared to December. Grapefruit fell from 6.4 million boxes to 6.2 million boxes. Tangerines and tangelos dropped from 1.2 million boxes to …
Commercial citrus growers will soon see a new seedless mandarin variety that stays on the tree longer, two traits farmers seek, say University of Florida scientists. Marathon, an early season mandarin, is also easy to peel and tastes good, said Fred Gmitter, a professor of breeding and genetics at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). …
Among other topics she discussed in her part of the latest All In For Citrus podcast, Laurie Hurner emphasized that HLB is here to stay. Hurner is the Highlands County Extension director and a citrus Extension agent. “At some point we do have to make the decision in the field, at the grower production level and at the higher levels …
The Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination (HLB MAC) group is extending the deadline for submitting project applications to Friday, March 8, 2019. Information on applying for funding, including the application template, criteria for evaluation and the submission process, is available on the HLB MAC site. The HLB MAC funds applied research projects that are likely to deliver a useable tool in the …
Plant pathologist Megan Dewdney with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences discussed the basics of brown rot and its control at a recent disease seminar in Immokalee. Approximately 60 growers and others attended the seminar held at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. Brown rot is especially prevalent in early-season citrus varieties. “It’s particularly problematic …
Coalitions of San Joaquin Valley growers created to help comply with water quality regulations have reached a settlement agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). The coalitions include the Kaweah Basin Water Quality Association, Tule Basin Water Quality Coalition and Kings River Watershed Coalition Authority. As part of the agreement, the coalitions will install kiosks to ensure safe drinking …
Florida citrus growers have long expressed frustration with the delay in getting government aid for damages they suffered from Hurricane Irma in the fall of 2017. “We are at Florida Citrus Mutual certainly as frustrated as the Florida citrus growers,” Mutual CEO Mike Sparks said this week. “And, yes, we hear often from individuals” who are frustrated by the time …
Florida grapefruit trees have taken a much harder hit from HLB, also known as greening disease, in recent years than orange trees have. Grapefruit production has plummeted drastically, and growers are desperately seeking ways to keep trees alive and productive. The fruit’s troubles have hit especially hard in the Indian River area, known worldwide for its grapefruit. Indian River Citrus …
“Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet” for HLB, plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman told growers in Immokalee recently, adding that he doesn’t think there will be one. “The best option for such a complex and challenging disease is … integrated pest management (IPM). And our growers here in Florida are actually doing just that. Now they are paying attention to root …
Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center, discusses HLB research and education programs being conducted by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). “The goal of our IFAS citrus program continues to be to provide growers with the most up-to-date information that they can use to help maintain or increase the production of …
Huanglongbing (HLB) may have been found in significantly more citrus trees in 2018, but improved sampling and monitoring offer a reason as to why HLB detections increased so dramatically. In 2018, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program (CPDPP) redoubled efforts to limit the spread of HLB and its vector, the Asian citrus psyllid …
“Postbloom fruit drop (PFD) season is coming upon us fairly quickly,” plant pathologist Megan Dewdney said in summarizing a presentation she made Jan. 16 in Immokalee, Florida. “Growers should be planning on keeping an eye on the rain forecast … how much bloom they are having now, how much bloom they’ll have in two (to) three weeks, and keeping an …
Many citrus growers think integrated pest management (IPM) is all about reducing pesticide use. Not so, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences entomologist Lukasz Stelinski told growers recently. “IPM is a system to achieve sustainable agriculture, and it’s very much based in economics, where a damage threshold or economic injury level is identified,” Stelinski said. Once a …
