Phytophthora infection can lead to severe stunting in newly planted citrus trees, researcher Megan Dewdney told growers and others at a Jan. 19 presentation at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. She said stunted trees never thrive or produce adequate fruit. Dewdney is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist. She …
Florida Citrus Show Takes Aim at HLB
Growers gathered in Fort Pierce last week for the Florida Citrus Show. More than 30 presentations and panel discussions were held during the two-day event. Topics covered included production, technology and markets. With the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicting the smallest citrus crop in more than 70 years, urgency to seek solutions to HLB was high on the agenda. …
CRDF Funds Fruit Drop Research, Hears Antibiotic Presentations
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) governing board on Jan. 25 approved a project aimed at reducing fruit drop by using potassium, zinc, gibberellic acid and the herbicide 2,4-D in different timing scenarios. The funding will allow University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher Fernando Alferez to finish two years of work that CRDF Chief …
Sneak Peek: February 2022 Citrus Industry
In the February issue of Citrus Industry magazine, Florida growers will find out what diseases to watch for this season. Megan Dewdney’s annual foliar fungal disease round-up reports on what some of the major problems are likely to be in 2022. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant pathologist and Extension specialist provides tips on …
Preying on Asian Citrus Psyllids and Other Pests
By Jawwad A. Qureshi and Azhar A. Khan The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, invaded Florida over two decades ago. The need to consistently suppress it became apparent soon after detection and particularly after discovering huanglongbing (HLB) disease, which it spreads. Managing HLB depends strongly on vector control to either reduce disease transmission of healthy trees or reinoculation. Single …
Consumers Prefer Florida OJ
Consumers are more likely to buy orange juice (OJ) if they think the fruit comes from Florida, new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows. In fact, top reasons consumers purchase OJ include taste, health benefits and origin of the fruit. According to the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), while 80% of OJ consumers who …
Top Priority: Updating Nutrient Recommendations
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is committed to updating nutrient management recommendations for citrus. For the next two months, that means seeking state funding for the research. The UF/IFAS team was crafting a specific proposal to the Legislature as of this writing. It’s at the very top of …
Prepare to Get Ahead of Algal Spot
By Megan Dewdney Last summer, I received many calls about algal spot, especially in late June to early July. Algal spot is a disease, caused by the algae Cephaleuros virescens, that occurs mostly on citrus tree limbs. Much of the year it is difficult to see because it is a gray-green color that blends into the color of citrus bark. …
Why She Grows Citrus in Georgia
When Lindy Savelle ended her career in federal law enforcement, including stints overseas, she and her husband decided to move back to land they owned in South Georgia. They researched different crops they might grow and settled on citrus. She tells her story in a recent Grower Talks Podcast produced by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. “Citrus is …
HLB Strategies From Zoom’okalee
In a Jan. 12 virtual Zoom seminar from Immokalee (dubbed “Zoom’okalee” in the presentation), researcher Ozgur Batuman reviewed old and new approaches to controlling HLB. The seminar was titled “Citrus Disease Trends We Should Heed: HLB, Phytophthora and Leprosis.” Batuman works for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) …
Coordinated HLB Treatment Critical in California
In an open letter to California citrus growers, Jim Gorden, chair of the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Committee, emphasized the importance of cooperation of all growers to keep huanglongbing (HLB) at bay. Growers need to work together to coordinate treatments for maximum effectiveness. “As the threat of HLB continues, industry members know that the best way to prevent HLB …
Florida Citrus Nutrition Recommendations to Be Updated
The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference held in Savannah in early January included a session on citrus production to educate growers. Kelly Morgan, professor of soil fertility and water management with the University of Florida, spoke to attendees about newly updated production guides and their relationship to plant nutrition and HLB. Morgan noted that the third edition of the …
Multistate Scientists Seek HLB Tolerance
A $1.5 million emergency grant is enabling scientists in citrus-producing states to find trees tolerant to the devastating citrus disease HLB. The disease has crippled Florida’s citrus industry and has already been detected in California, which grows 80% of America’s fresh citrus. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is supporting scientists at the University of California, Riverside (UCR); the University …
Resolved to Give Growers What They Need
By Michael Rogers January marks the season for resolutions: exercising more, eating well and being more organized. But in the research world, resolutions may not be that simple. I don’t think that University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers could be any more “resolved” in finding ways to fight citrus diseases and ways to improve how …
How Fast is CLas? Scientists Now Know
For the first time, scientists have been able to measure the speed of the Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) bacteria that causes HLB disease. CLas are injected into citrus trees by psyllids feeding on the trees’ sap. CLas relies on this sap to grow and spread throughout trees. Using a new statistical modeling analysis and measurement approach, plant pathologists were …
Pest Management: A New Approach to an Age-Old Challenge
By Brad Turner From a family with deep Florida roots, I have over 40 years of experience in commercial citrus production. I learned the industry from the ground up by working in the family groves while studying citrus production at Florida Southern College. I have owned a citrus nursery, my own groves and a citrus caretaking business. I have also …
Making Sense of Biologicals: An Alternative to Managing Premature Fruit Drop
One instance of fruit drop is expected and needed every growing season for Florida citrus producers. A second instance, however, is unexpected, unwanted and just what growers do not need right before harvest time. HLB WORSENS DROPBut that is a scenario Florida citrus growers encounter every year. This problem has only worsened in the era of citrus greening disease, also …
Shining the Light on Tree Health
At a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension citrus field day held earlier this month, plant pathologist Amit Levy talked with growers about ways to evaluate tree health. “A good evaluation should be correlated to the yield that the trees will produce,” explained Levy. “The evaluation should be concentrated on the tree health, and not on …
Recommended Citrus Reading
By Ruth Borger The week between Christmas and New Year’s is a great time to think about reading, or rereading, a book about Florida citrus or trying out a tasty recipe featuring our favorite fruit. Here are some suggestions that might make it onto your bedside reading table for the new year. Oranges by John McPhee,1966, is considered a classic …
Sweet Orange Scab Quarantine Expanded
A quarantine for Elsinoë australis, the fungal causal agent of sweet orange scab (SOS), was established in all of Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama to prevent the spread of the disease. The quarantine was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI). …