managing

Immediate Response Required When Managing HLB

Daniel CooperCold Hardy, HLB Management

The first chore for growers in the cold-hardy citrus region when managing citrus greening is scouting for the disease and its vector, the Asian citrus psyllid. The next step is prompt removal of any trees infected with the disease, says Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist. “At this point, we think greening is still …

endophytes

Citrus-Derived Endophytes Have HLB Management Potential

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Research

Florida-based scientists published an article in Microorganisms indicating citrus-derived endophytes have potential for managing HLB. Endophytes are endosymbionts, often bacteria or fungi, which live within a plant for at least part of its life cycle without causing apparent disease. The authors of the article are Jessica Dominguez, Krishnaswamy Jayachandran and Kateel G. Shetty of Florida International University, and U.S. Department …

HLB-tolerant

HLB-Tolerant Scion Breeding Update

Daniel CooperVarieties

U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) geneticist Matt Mattia with the U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, recently provided a scion breeding update on HLB-tolerant citrus. A slightly edited version follows:  Significant strides are being made in the development and evaluation of new citrus varieties, with many now nearing commercial release. These varieties are not only promising …

breeding

HLB at Center of Florida Citrus Breeding Efforts

Daniel CooperBreeding, Varieties

Peter Chaires, New Varieties Development and Management Corp. executive director, spoke about citrus breeding at the Cold Hardy Citrus Workshop on Sept. 24 at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Perry. Chaires said HLB tolerance “is an essential element of everything that’s being done in the breeding program with a stronger emphasis than …

California

Commercial Citrus Impacted by Expanded HLB Quarantine

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Diseases

The area quarantined for HLB in San Diego County, California, has been expanded, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) announced on Sept. 23. USDA APHIS took the action in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). HLB, a plant disease caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, is also known as citrus …

HLB Incidence

HLB Incidence Exceeds 44% in Brazil’s Citrus Belt

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management

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 …

frequent irrigation

Frequent Irrigation Benefits HLB-Infected Sweet Orange Trees

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Irrigation, Research

By Tripti Vashisth and Mary Sutton Citrus trees affected by huanglongbing (HLB) show significant root dieback. This dieback results in smaller root systems than would be seen in healthy citrus trees. These small root systems are limited in their uptake capacity. In other words, if an HLB-affected tree is given the same amount of water as a healthy tree, the …

commercial

HLB and Psyllids in Georgia Commercial Citrus

Daniel CooperGeorgia, Psyllids

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 …

Brazil’s

Heat and HLB Hurting Brazil’s Production

Daniel CooperBrazil, Production

Brazil’s citrus crop is suffering this season, according to Franklin Behlau, a senior researcher for Fundecitrus. That was the focus of a recent presentation he provided at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. “Things have changed in Brazil this season,” Behlau said. “We are a little behind …

registration

HLB Product Advancing in Registration Process

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Regulation

Silvec Biologics announced that an RNA vector delivery product to combat HLB has progressed to the Full Science Review Phase of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Pesticide Regulation Improvement Act registration process. The product was developed in collaboration with Southern Gardens Citrus (a subsidiary of U. S. Sugar), the University of Florida (UF) and Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Silvec is …

Florida

Sustaining Citrus Production in the HLB Era

Daniel CooperIrrigation, Nutrition

The virtues of daily irrigation and increased micronutrient applications were among key points researcher Davie Kadyampakeni made in an Aug. 13 discussion of citrus production in the HLB era. Kadyampakeni is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor of soil, water and ecosystem sciences at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred.  …

publication

New HLB Publication at the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo

Daniel CooperCitrus Expo, Tip of the Week

By Michael E. Rogers Do you plan to attend the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo on Aug. 21–22 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa? If so, you’ll want to stop by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Extension booth to pick up the latest publication on HLB management assembled by UF/IFAS citrus experts. …

hlb

Reasons to Believe HLB Is Beatable

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management

Growers gathered in Bonita Springs in mid-June for the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference. The event hosted by Florida Citrus Mutual drew a good crowd. The mood of growers was mixed. While there was hope that HLB trunk-injection therapies might have resulted in more dramatic improvements to this year’s crop, there also was recognition that these therapies represent one of …

CUPS

CUPS Allows Profitable HLB-Free Citrus Production

Daniel CooperCUPS, Research

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) has invested more than $250 million to find a solution for HLB. One example of USDA NIFA-funded research is citrus under protective screen (CUPS).  University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientist Arnold Schumann and colleagues began testing CUPS at the Citrus Research and Education Center …

international

International HLB Conference Focused on Grower Solutions

Daniel CooperEvents, HLB Management, Research

This spring, the seventh International Research Conference on Huanglongbing (IRCHLB) was held in Riverside, California. The inaugural event was held in 2008 and funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture. USDA researcher Tim Gottwald and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor Jim Graham founded the …

hlb

Researchers Discuss Rising HLB Incidence in Brazil

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management

The incidence of citrus greening disease (HLB) in Brazil’s Citrus Belt of São Paulo and Triângulo/Southwest Mineiro rose from 24.42% in 2022 to 38.06% in 2023, according to Fundecitrus. The association’s annual survey indicates the disease increasingly demands more effective and collaborative measures. At a session of Brazil’s Expocitrus in June, Fundecitrus researcher Marcelo Miranda discussed the development of greening …

Residents’

Study Shows Florida Residents’ Attitudes on HLB

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Research

In the fall of 2022, five University of Florida researchers investigated Florida residents’ attitudes on HLB and Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) using online surveys over a 9-month period. The results of the study, Residents’ contribution to Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening management in Florida residential habitats, was recently published in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management. Authors Romain Exilien, …

study

Study Sheds Light on Defense Against HLB-Spreading Psyllids

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Research

A study by researchers from the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and South China Agricultural University sheds light on the genetic mechanisms that can defend against Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) infestation. ACP is the vector for HLB, the most devastating disease of citrus. The study was published in Horticulture Research on April 1. It unveils the roles of two cytochrome …

HLB-tolerant

Survivor Grapefruit Cultivars Set for HLB Trials

Daniel CooperGrapefruit, HLB Management, Research

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) citrus scion breeding program recently rediscovered several noteworthy grapefruit cultivars at the A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm in Groveland, Florida. Among these are the Florida Red, Red Blush and Henderson varieties. These cultivars were originally selected as long shots from the Whitmore Foundation Farm and were planted in 1986. They have survived …

cover crops

Cover Crops for Managing HLB

Daniel CooperCover Crops, HLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Davie Kadyampakeni and Miurel Brewer Row middle management is a key area that can improve tree performance. Row middles encompass 80% of citrus orchards, and 70% of the root system of citrus trees was located in row middles before huanglongbing (HLB). Typically, Florida citrus growers manage row middles using physical, chemical and mowing practices, often leaving them free of …