By Frank Giles and Maegan Beatty As growers deployed their first application of oxytetracycline (OTC) via trunk-injection this summer, expectations were high but tempered by the fact the therapy is not expected to turn the massive HLB ship around in just one season. By this fall, after the seasonal cooldown, growers were still reporting generally positive signs from the treatments. …
CRDF Research Priorities Include Trunk-Injection Therapy
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) held its June board of directors meeting in conjunction with Florida Citrus Mutual’s Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Bonita Springs. The June gathering is when the CRDF board passes its budget for the next year. The board funded a project by Zhanao Deng, professor of environmental horticulture with the University of Florida …
Recommendations for Oxytetracycline Injections
Three University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers recently issued the document Suggested Use Pattern of Injectable Antimicrobials for Huanglongbing (HLB) Management. The authors are Ute Albrecht, associate professor of horticulture; Ozgur Batuman, associate professor of plant pathology; and Megan Dewdney, associate professor of plant pathology. The antimicrobials for Florida citrus are ReMedium TI and Rectify; …
Lessons From Oxytetracycline Injection Trials
By Ute Albrecht, Carol Tardivo, Gabriel Pugina, Larissa Nunes, Jasmine de Freitas and Gerardo Moreno Since the approval of oxytetracycline (OTC) injection to manage citrus greening (huanglongbing, HLB) in Florida, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant physiology team at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) has completed various research trials with multiple …
Making the Most of ReMedium TI® Injections
Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions about optimizing trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: How do I get the best performance out of my ReMedium TI® injections? Tom Johnson: Getting the most out of your ReMedium TI® injections begins by properly evaluating individual tree size and tree health. While that may sound …
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Optimizing OTC Injections
By Ute Albrecht, Caroline Tardivo, Larissa Nunes, Gabriel Pugina, Gerardo Moreno and Jasmine de Freitas As growers are well into the second year of oxytetracycline (OTC) injections since approval for commercial use, more and more data are accumulating. The good news is that in all University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) trials, trees have been responding …
How to Address Sectoring in Trunk-Injected Trees
By Ute Albrecht and Larissa Nunes Citrus growers who injected oxytetracycline (OTC) last year most likely experienced sectoring, which is the appearance of some portions of the canopy looking considerably healthier than the rest of the tree. RECENT RESEARCH In a recent trial in a commercial citrus grove, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers injected …
Research Update on Oxytetracycline Injection for HLB Management
By Ute Albrecht The German scientist Paul Ehrlich pioneered the research for “magic bullets” — chemicals that could kill a microorganism but did not harm the patient. He also coined the term “chemotherapy” and paved the way for developing synthetic drugs. The first synthetic antibiotic (the first sulfa-type antibiotic) to successfully treat human bacterial diseases without major side effects was …
Seeking Injection Alternatives and Additions
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) approved three new projects during its September board of directors meeting. The projects will test the injection of different antimicrobial materials to treat HLB. One project will be managed by Ozgur Batuman, a citrus pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Another will be run by Kranthi …
Exploring Additional Antimicrobials for Citrus Injection
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board of directors invited six full proposals on combining other antimicrobials with oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) during its April meeting. “If growers are going to pay the labor costs for workers to crawl underneath a citrus tree to treat it with OTC-HCl, maybe there are other things that could be mixed with the injection,” …
Rectify Injection Available for HLB in Florida
Rectify, AgroSource, Inc.’s 95% oxytetracycline hydrochloride-based tree-injection product, is expected to be available for use against HLB in Florida citrus as early as Feb. 24. The product will be available to growers through existing commercial agricultural product distributors. AgroSource petitioned and received a Special Local Needs (SLN) approval for Rectify by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) …
Injecting Citrus Tree Trunks with Bactericide May Help Stem Greening
By: Brad Buck GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A chemical treatment known as a bactericide could help preserve citrus trees from the potentially deadly and costly greening disease, a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) study shows. Citrus is estimated as a $10.9 billion-a-year industry in Florida and the finding could be key to helping the state’s …
CRAFT Continues to Push New Plantings and HLB Therapies
During the recent Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference, Steven Hall provided an update on the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) programs. Hall is executive director of the CRAFT Foundation. CRAFT programs have been very popular among growers to incentivize new plantings and build knowledge about HLB therapies like trunk injection, the use of individual protective covers, plant growth regulators …
Sneak Peek: July 2025 Citrus Industry
A July Specialty Crop Grower magazine article explores the potential of trunk injection for fresh market citrus. While trunk injection of oxytetracycline has become a common practice in Florida citrus grown for juice, growers of fresh market varieties have expressed interest in this HLB-management tool. Therefore, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are studying trunk …
All In For Citrus Podcast, June 2025
In the June All In For Citrus podcast, Michael Rogers gives an update on some of the activities keeping University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers busy this summer. Rogers is the director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. One of their big projects is helping to coordinate the citrus seminars …
Grove-First Expands Search for HLB-Fighting Molecules
By Randall P. Niedz and Michelle Heck Grove-First is a collaborative research initiative developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS) scientists and partners to solve citrus greening (HLB) by evaluating potential treatments directly in the field. This direct-to-field strategy is based on the idea that only field testing can determine whether a treatment can rejuvenate HLB-infected trees …
Nearly $23 Million Awarded for HLB Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) announced May 28 it has invested nearly $23 million in 14 HLB projects in 2025. The projects seek to find solutions to combat and prevent HLB in citrus. The projects are part of the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program. The University of Florida is the only …
Podcast Topics: OTC Survey Results and Snail Research
Trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) to treat HLB is widely regarded as one of the biggest breakthroughs in the long fight against the disease. After two seasons of treatments, where do Florida citrus growers stand when it comes to the treatment? Tara Wade answers that question in the latest episode of the All In For Citrus podcast. The University of …
Sneak Peek: June 2025 Citrus Industry
The June issue of Specialty Crop Grower magazine honors the winner of the 2025 Citrus Achievement Award. Ben Albritton, this year’s recipient, is a fourth-generation citrus grower and Florida politician. Learn all about his career and accomplishments in the cover story. Don’t miss the digital edition of the magazine to see an exclusive video interview. Albritton and Specialty Crop Grower …
All In For Citrus Podcast, May 2025
The May All In For Citrus podcast features highlights from a recent OJ Break hosted by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Podcast host Frank Giles caught up with Michael Rogers, CREC director, during the event. Rogers summarized some of the information presented at the OJ …