Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food projected total Spanish citrus production of 5,842 million tons for the 2024–25 season that began Sept. 1. That’s 60,500 tons, or 1%, less than preliminary figures for the previous season and 8.6% less than the average of the last five seasons. A continued drought and excessive heat in key periods of citrus development …
CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Get Out and About at Variety Displays and Field Days
By Peter Chaires Each year, citrus breeding and research teams go to great lengths to host variety displays, research reviews, tours and field days. These events not only showcase the collective pursuit of industry needs and priorities, but they afford stakeholders an opportunity to monitor the progress and interact directly with scientists and support staff. This is an investment of …
Research Aims to Diversify Georgia’s Citrus Crop
Satsuma mandarins helped establish the citrus crop in Georgia. Alternate varieties will help the state’s industry continue to grow. Mary Sutton’s appointment as the new University of Georgia (UGA) citrus Extension specialist should help growers implement varieties that have been tested and are suitable for Georgia growers. Part of her role will be to research alternatives to satsumas to see …
PIECES OF THE PAST: A Legacy of Citrus Service
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I recently met Megan and Jeffrey Forbes at a presentation I gave on the Citrus Label Trail during Preservation on Main Street’s annual meeting in Tallahassee. They are interested in adding Alachua and Marion counties to the Citrus Label Trail. Megan is a board member of the Old Florida Heritage Highway, and Jeffrey is the development …
Cold-Hardy Citrus Concerns Prior to Harvest
Cold-hardy citrus growers are on the cusp of starting another harvest season. Management options need to continue up until the first crops are plucked from the trees, according to Certified Crop Adviser Bill Barber with Ag Services LLC. Barber spoke at a citrus workshop on Sept. 24 at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office …
All In For Citrus Podcast, September 2024
Mark Ritenour, professor of postharvest technology with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), joined the September episode of the All In For Citrus podcast to provide a recap of Packinghouse Day. The event was held Sept. 12 at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Based at the Indian River Research and …
Sneak Peek: October 2024 Citrus Industry
With the news that oxytetracycline (OTC) has been approved for a third consecutive year of trunk injection in Florida citrus, growers are looking to optimize their applications for the coming season. The October cover story in Citrus Industry magazine aims to help growers make the most of their OTC injections. University of Florida researchers tell the good, the bad and …
Transforming Organic Citrus Production
Organic citrus growing presents unique hurdles in Florida, Texas and other southern states. Poor soil quality, nutrient deficiencies and a limited range of pest control options plague organic production. But the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) Davie Kadyampakeni is poised to transform the future of organic citrus growing. He aims to do that with a …
Research Funded for Citrus-Harvesting Robot
California’s Citrus Research Board (CRB) has signed a $900,000 funding agreement with Nanovel that includes delivery of a citrus-harvesting robot after a series of field trials in California, Nanovel reported. The field trials are set to start in the spring of 2025 and will be conducted in cooperation with citrus growers. Nanovel, an Israeli company established in 2018 by Chief …
Hurricane Debby Citrus Production Losses Could Reach $13 Million
There were no reports of significant or widespread losses for citrus crops due to August’s Hurricane Debby, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reported recently. But the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program stated in a preliminary assessment of agricultural damages that low-level production losses across a wide swath of citrus acreage could reach $13 million. …
Georgia Citrus Breeder Says New Varieties Will Take Time
The University of Georgia’s new citrus breeder is preaching patience for South Georgia growers wanting new varieties to work with. Dario Chavez emphasized during the Citrus Grower’s Summer Update meeting in Valdosta that it could take a decade or longer to research and find new citrus varieties that will help Georgia’s blossoming industry. “I think some of the growers are …
Bringing Back the Miss Florida Citrus Pageant
This is the third installment of Q&A features with Brenda Eubanks Burnette, the 2024 Citrus Achievement Award winner. What was the motivation to revive the Miss Florida Citrus Pageant and what did it take to get the program up and running again? Burnette: LaVoyce Leggett Porter, the 1966 Florida Citrus Queen, asked me if I would be interested in resurrecting …
Citrus Disease Quarantines Expanded in California
U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) officials, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), recently expanded the areas quarantined for huanglongbing (HLB) and sweet orange scab (SOS) in the state. HLB The quarantined area in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties has been expanded by approximately 50 square miles. Additionally, the …
Psyllid Control Discussed at South African Citrus Symposium
Researchers Marcelo Miranda and Haroldo Volpe with Brazil’s Fundecitrus discussed control of the HLB-spreading psyllid during a recent visit to a South African research symposium and accompanying events. During the Citrus Research Symposium in Drakensberg, Miranda discussed studies developed at Fundecitrus on the management of the HLB-spreading psyllid (Diaphorina citri). In South Africa, HLB is caused by a bacteria different …
Citrus Executive Named Chair of Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) has named Steven Callaham, chief executive officer of Dundee Citrus Growers Association, as its chair for 2024–26. “Steven Callaham has long been a driving force in Florida’s citrus industry. His leadership, vision and dedication have strengthened the resilience and future success of the agricultural community,” said FFVA President Mike Joyner. “With his commitment …
Big Year Expected for Diverse Georgia Citrus Crop
Georgia’s citrus industry is growing and so are the diverse varieties producers are planting every year. Jake Price, University of Georgia citrus agent, said at the Citrus Grower’s Summer Update meeting last week in Valdosta that there were 4,400 citrus acres planted in South Georgia. At approximately 145 trees per acre, this equates to about 638,000 trees. What started out …
HLB Incidence Exceeds 44% in Brazil’s Citrus Belt
Fundecitrus’ annual survey of HLB in Brazil indicates that disease incidence rose from 38.06% in 2023 to 44.35% in 2024 throughout the Citrus Belt of São Paulo and Triângulo/Southwest Mineiro. This is the seventh consecutive year of growth for the disease. HLB was found in approximately 90.36 million trees. In total, there are 203.74 million orange trees throughout the Citrus …
Florida Citrus Gained Ground in 2023–24
The value and production of Florida citrus both rose in the 2023–24 season. The $221 million preliminary on-tree value of the 2023–24 crop is 6% more than the $208 million revised value for 2022–23. All citrus production in 2023–24 is 20.2 million boxes, up 12% from the previous season’s 18.1 million boxes. The figures were reported in the 2023–24 Citrus …
HLB and Psyllids in Georgia Commercial Citrus
One of Georgia citrus growers’ worst fears is slowly becoming a reality. Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB), was observed in a Georgia commercial citrus grove for the first time in 2023. This is alarming news for the industry, says Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist. “We knew HLB was here in residential …
Syngenta Seeks Citrus Interns for Summer
Syngenta Crop Protection has announced it is accepting applications for its summer 2025 citrus internship program. These are paid internships offering hands-on experience in the agriculture industry. Applications can be made online. Applicants should complete the survey and upload their resumes here. The deadline for applying is Nov. 8, 2024. ABOUT THE INTERNSHIPS Interns are assigned to mentors and territories …