Register for the 2018 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet

Abbey TaylorCitrus

The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet will take place Feb. 13 in Tampa. This event will honor the 2018 inductees to the hall of fame. Four agricultural leaders have been chosen to enter the hall of fame this year. They are Alfonso Fanjul, J. Pepe Fanjul, Lowell Loadholtz and Harold K. Mikell. These four men have dedicated their lives …

crdf

Studying Soil Microbes and Microbial Amendments

Tacy CalliesNews from our Sponsor

Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation This article addresses the idea that beneficial, naturally occurring soil- and root-based bacteria might aid in the management of HLB. The background for field trials described below is work by Nian Wang of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, funded in part by the Citrus Research and …

disease

Managing Disease with Copper and IPM

Ernie NeffDiseases

Integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and copper are both good control measures for common citrus foliar fungal diseases, as well as for citrus canker. So says University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman. Batuman summarizes information he presented at a fall field day and seminar attended by about 60 people at the Southwest Florida …

Understanding the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs Rule

Tacy CalliesRegulation

By Travis K. Chapin, Keith R. Schneider, Renée Goodrich Schneider and Michelle D. Danyluk On Nov. 27, 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals rule in the Code of Federal Regulations under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The final rule requires that importers …

disaster

Update on Hurricane Disaster Relief Legislation

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release, Legislative

Mike Sparks, executive vice president/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, provides the following update on hurricane disaster relief legislation: This was another busy week in Washington. The industry, led by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, spent two days working with the Florida delegation and Congressional leaders in an attempt to find a path forward for disaster relief legislation. There is more …

cold

FAWN’s Cold Protection Toolkit Explained

Ernie NeffFreeze Protection

Citrus growers and other agriculturists can use the Florida Automated Weather Network’s (FAWN) Cold Protection Toolkit to make decisions when using irrigation for cold protection. FAWN Project Manager Rick Lusher provides an overview of what he calls the toolkit’s “step-by-step guide.” “You can look at a four-day forecast from the National Weather Service, and then you can go down to …

sweet orange scab

Sweet Orange Scab Detected in Alabama

Tacy CalliesDiseases

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials have confirmed the first detection of sweet orange scab (SOS) in Alabama. The fruit sample was collected in Baldwin County by Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ (ADAI) plant protection inspectors during a delimiting survey for citrus greening disease. The Auburn University Plant Diagnostic Clinic provided the initial diagnosis of SOS, and USDA Animal …

Attacking HLB From All Angles

Tacy CalliesHLB Management

University of California Riverside (UCR) is committed to a major offensive against huanglongbing (HLB, or citrus greening disease), as the threat is marching ever closer to commercial citrus orchards in California. The only confirmed cases in Southern California have been in residential trees in Los Angeles and Orange counties, including near the UCR campus. But some experts believe it is …

HLB

Super-Root Mutants for HLB

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening, HLB Management

A citrus nursery employee has found super-root mutants that might offer hope for developing trees that are less susceptible to HLB. The employee is Beth Lamb, a tissue culture expert at Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences citrus breeder Jude Grosser tells about her discovery. “She discovered some mutants of some of the …

Freeze Probability and Protection Efforts

Ernie NeffFreeze Protection

Florida hasn’t had a widespread tree-killing citrus freeze in years. That’s very fortunate since the industry has been dealing with the highly destructive HLB disease since 2005 and with negative impacts of Hurricane Irma since September. However, a damaging freeze is always a possibility at this time of year. Consequently, multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt held a winter weather …

psyllid

Psyllid Control Strategies

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Psyllids

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences entomologist Jawwad Qureshi discussed several means of Asian citrus psyllid control at Citrus Expo in August. He provides an overview of his presentation. Qureshi says it is best to start psyllid sprays during the winter dormant period. “Do it individually or do it in a collaborative effort, but you must do …

UF Study: Screen Houses May Help Prevent Grapefruit Greening

Abbey TaylorCitrus Greening, Grapefruit

By: Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Grapefruit grows better under screen houses than in unprotected groves because the indoor facilities keep out the insect that causes citrus greening, new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows. Protecting citrus from greening is essential, UF/IFAS researchers say. The disease, first detected in Florida in 2004, …

Plant Biostimulants — Snake Oils or Beneficial Substances?

Tacy CalliesBiostimulants

By Ute Albrecht and Sarah Strauss Recent years have seen an explosion of products termed “biostimulants” as alternatives to traditional chemical products to improve plant growth and productivity, and to enhance the sustainability of agricultural systems. Although there is currently no legal definition of biostimulants, they are usually defined as “substance(s) and/or microorganisms that when applied to plants or the …

CUPS

Semiautonomous Vehicle Used in CUPS

Ernie NeffCUPS

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Arnold Schumann showed off a semiautonomous vehicle at the recent Citrus Research and Education Center 100th anniversary celebration. The vehicle is used in the center’s citrus under protective cover (CUPS) facility, designed to keep trees free of HLB-spreading psyllids. Schumann discusses the vehicle and its uses. “We designed that vehicle …

Citrus Expo

HLB Research Beyond CRDF: Florida’s Goal Achieved

Tacy CalliesNews from our Sponsor

By Harold Browning Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation As 2017 draws to a close, the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) is working to redefine the primary directions for its research and delivery programs. Federal funding programs that have emerged over the past four years are covering much of the discovery and knowledge-building research, and is …

Dramatic Weather Events Disrupt the Orange Juice Market

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves The first 2017–18 U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast for Florida oranges — 54 million boxes — after Hurricane Irma was the lowest number in 70 years. Before the hurricane, we were all expecting that Florida would have more than 80 million boxes of oranges. This possible shortage of approximately 25 million boxes will dramatically affect not-from-concentrate …

HLB

Low-Density Planting Problematic with HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management, planting

Two economists addressing a Gulf Citrus Growers Association economic seminar on Nov. 30 agreed that low-density citrus plantings would likely be hazardous to growers’ financial health in the face of HLB. One also reported that the average grower is not making a profit, and that small growers are exiting the industry faster than larger growers. “We were looking into different …

psyllids

Walls Aim to Keep Psyllids Out

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Psyllids

Walls consisting of insect-proof screen held up by telephone poles hold promise for helping growers reduce the cost of controlling HLB-spreading psyllids. The walls serve as artificial windbreaks in a new model grove planted in June at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC). The grove was one of numerous projects viewed by more than 500 attendees who came to …

hurricane

Maximizing Insurance Claims After Hurricane Irma

Ernie Neffhurricane

Attorney Steven Boyne with Gunster law firm in Jacksonville suggests ways growers can maximize insurance claims resulting from Hurricane Irma. His remarks summarize a presentation he made at the Florida Agriculture Financial Management Conference earlier this month. “The more documentation you can provide, the better,” Boyne says. “Don’t view the adjuster as an adversary. If you work closely with the …

HLB

Millennium Block Resurrected for HLB Research

Ernie NeffGrapefruit, HLB Management

An approximately 35-acre research plot that fell victim to citrus canker years ago will soon become a new research site helping growers pick trees that fare best with HLB. The plot at the Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce will keep its former name, the Millennium Block. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences …