Solid Crop Needs to Survive Rust Mites

Josh McGillPests

Citrus growers in North Florida and South Georgia are expected to start harvesting in early November. While the crop still looks promising, producers need to keep an eye on rust mites, says grower Kim Jones. “Rust mites can still be a real danger at this point. With fresh fruit, we’ve got to have a pretty piece of fruit. That rust …

Minimize Mite Pressure in Citrus

Josh McGillPests

Hot temperatures and dry conditions in some parts of the Southeast add up to ideal conditions for mite populations to increase in citrus groves. Lauren Diepenbrock, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences assistant professor and entomologist, said citrus can tolerate some spider mite pressure. Increased pressure, though, can leave an impact. “You can handle some amount of …

New Finger Lime Cultivars for the Specialty Citrus Market

Josh McGillLimes, Tip of the Week, Varieties

By Manjul Dutt The finger lime is an HLB-tolerant Australian native citrus that has been gaining popularity and importance in the last few years. Finger lime has several unique fruit qualities that set it apart from conventional sweet oranges and mandarins. The primary characteristic of this fruit is the round to teardrop-shaped juice vesicles, known as “citrus caviar,” that burst …

How to Manage Salt Stress in Citrus Groves

Josh McGillsoil, Tip of the Week, Water

By Amir Rezazadeh Saline soil and water damage many citrus groves in Florida. In general, when the dissolved salt concentration in soil or water increases, it is referred to as “saline” soil or water. But how much increase in salt concentration makes soil or water saline? Citrus plants’ major reactions to excessive salt in the soil or water are reduced …

Citrus Canker Quarantine Established in Alabama

Josh McGillDiseases, Regulation

Federal and Alabama agriculture authorities recently established a citrus canker quarantine for all of Baldwin County, Alabama, to prevent the spread of the disease. The quarantine was established on July 25 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI). On June 22, 2021, APHIS confirmed …

Final U.S. Citrus Forecast Has Several Changes

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

The final U.S. citrus forecast of the 2021–22 season, released July 12, projected production changes for crops in Florida, California, Texas and Arizona compared to the June forecast. FLORIDAFlorida’s all-orange forecast rose 1%, to 40.95 million boxes, due to a slight increase in non-Valencia orange production and a 1% increase in expected Valencia orange production. The Florida grapefruit production forecast …

Florida Citrus June Forecast Mixed

Josh McGillCrop Forecast

By Ernie Neff The June 10 federal citrus crop forecast increased the expected Florida Valencia orange crop by 2% but dropped the state’s grapefruit and tangerines/tangelos production expectations. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The projected Valencia crop rose 500,000 boxes from the May forecast, to 22.5 million boxes. NASS declared …

Changes in Pesticide Residue Tolerances on Citrus Destined for Korea

Josh McGillExport, Pesticides, Tip of the Week

By Mark A. Ritenour The U.S. and other countries set maximum residue limits (MRLs) on fresh produce for various chemicals, including pesticides that might be used preharvest or postharvest. These materials must be labeled for use on the crop of interest and used only according to label instructions. While it is unlikely for U.S. MRLs to be exceeded when label …

Brazil’s First Orange Forecast for 2022–2023

Josh McGillBrazil, Crop Forecast

The 2022–2023 initial orange crop forecast for Brazil’s São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt is 316.95 million boxes. The forecast was published on May 26 by Fundecitrus and its cooperators. The projected volume is 20.53% higher than the previous crop, which totaled 262.97 million boxes. The orange production forecast includes:• 59.48 million boxes of Hamlin, Westin and Rubi• …

Pests, Pathogens and IPCs

Josh McGillIPCs, Pests, Research

By Lauren Diepenbrock, Megan Dewdney, Fernando Alferez, Jawwad Qureshi and Ozgur Batuman Individual protective covers (IPCs) are becoming commonplace in citrus production to support the development of young trees after planting. IPCs are made of fine mesh and are intended to keep Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) off young plants. Because ACP can transmit the pathogen that causes citrus greening/huanglongbing, preventing …

Cold-Hardy Citrus Is New Researcher’s Focus

Josh McGillCold Hardy, Research

Muhammad Adnan Shahid in January joined the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) as assistant professor of horticulture/fruit crops specialist. His Extension goal is providing fruit producers, particularly cold-hardy citrus growers, with relevant, research-based information for improving productivity, profitability and produce quality. Shahid is interested in evaluating new early …

Legislation Introduced for Growers Impacted by Freezes

Tacy Calliesfreeze, Legislative

U.S. Representatives Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Darren Soto (D-Fla.) introduced the Temperature Endorsement for Multi-Peril Policies (TEMP) Act to protect farmers impacted by crop-damaging freezes. Rep. Steube proposes this legislation for inclusion in the 2023 farm bill. “This winter, a freeze caused significant damages to Florida’s citrus, sugarcane, ornamental plants, and many fruits and vegetables. Currently, specialty-crop insurance policies are expensive, leaving farmers with limited options …

April Citrus Forecast: Florida Down, California Up

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

Florida’s Valencia orange crop forecast was cut by 13%, and the state’s grapefruit crop projection was trimmed by 8% in the April 8 forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service. The Valencia crop projection was reduced by 3 million boxes, to 20 million boxes. Final fruit size is below the minimum, requiring 273 pieces of …

orange

U.S. Orange Juice Output to Hit 50-Year Low

Josh McGillForecast, Orange Juice

Total U.S. orange juice (OJ) production in the current 2021–22 season is forecast at 286 million single-strength equivalent (SSE) gallons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported recently. If realized, this volume will be the lowest in more than 50 years. To compensate for lower production, U.S. OJ imports are expected to increase over last year, reaching more …

How to Reduce Bingo Tree Loss to Stem Dieback

Josh McGillDiseases, 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 …

USDA Disaster Declaration for Florida Growers Impacted by Freeze

Tacy Calliesfreeze, Industry News Release

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) disaster designation for 17 counties and 10 contiguous counties impacted by the freezing temperatures that occurred in late January. View the USDA’s approval letter here. “With the approval of our request for a disaster declaration, farmers in Florida have resources available …

Citrus Canker Confirmed in South Carolina

Josh McGillDiseases

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of citrus canker disease in a nursery in South Carolina. The nursery sells plants to consumers through online sales. Other nurseries did not receive these plants. Together with state partners, APHIS is working to collect and destroy the plants shipped to consumers in …

Further Cuts to Florida Citrus Forecast

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, Florida

On March 9, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reduced Florida’s orange and grapefruit crop forecasts again. Valencia oranges took the biggest hit, dropping 3 million boxes, or 12%, to 23 million boxes. The forecast for the non-Valencia crop, which is virtually all harvested, actually rose 500,000 boxes, or 4%, to 18.2 million boxes. That means …

Orange Juice in Europe: Production, Consumption and Trade

Josh McGillExport/Import, International, Orange Juice

European Union (EU) orange juice (OJ) production is forecast at 70,390 metric tons (MT) in 2021–22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported. That’s a drop of almost 10% compared to the previous period due to the expected decline in EU orange supply. Spain is the major orange processor in the EU, followed by Italy. Approximately 20% of …