The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commercial Citrus Inventory, released Monday, shows total Florida citrus acreage tumbled 4 percent from last year to the lowest level since tracking began in 1966. The gross loss of 31,365 acres is the largest loss recorded in a single season since one-year interval surveys began in 2009. New plantings – at 10,090 acres – are …
HLB and ‘Tolerance’ as a Practical Matter in Choosing Rootstocks
By Bill Castle (Editor’s note: Click on the graphs throughout the article to enlarge them.) By classic biological definition, a particular citrus rootstock-scion combination when infected with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) would be considered tolerant if infected trees had no more than slight reductions in performance, sometimes accompanied by a reduced level of the pathogen. That definition implies that the …
Citrus Grove Renovation/Re-establishment Support Program
Mike Sparks, executive vice president/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, issued the following report: “As you know, a big part of Mutual’s mission over the past three years was to try and uncover, create and support grower incentive programs to get more trees in the ground and rebuild our industry. Through the hard work of Commissioner Adam Putnam and his staff …
Moving Murcott from the Top of the Tree to the Bottom
By Bill Castle and Luiz A.B.C. Vasconcellos Maybe it’s time to try a scion as a rootstock! Murcott is widely known as a scion variety, but it might be an interesting rootstock based on grower experience in Brazil as well as rootstock trial results and some commercial use in Florida. Mandarin rootstocks and their hybrids have generally good horticultural traits, especially …
California Citrus Challenges: Water Tops HLB
Asian citrus psyllids are detected sporadically in the San Joaquin Valley — home to most California oranges and mandarins — and are endemic in Southern California lemon country. But as far as anyone knows, the pests that spread HLB in Florida and Texas have not spread the disease into California’s commercial citrus groves. California HLB detections have been limited to 17 …
HLB in Brazil: What’s Working and What Florida Can Use
By Evan G. Johnson and Renato Bassanezi In February 2016, I (Evan Johnson) had the opportunity to tour citrus production areas in Parana and São Paulo states in Brazil as part of collaborations with researchers at Fundecitrus, a grower-supported research foundation. In addition to the fruitful discussions with research colleagues, I also had the opportunity to visit with growers in São …
Rubio, Nelson Urge Senate Leaders To Address Citrus Greening in Tax Legislation
RUBIO, NELSON URGE SENATE LEADERS TO ADDRESS CITRUS GREENING IN TAX LEGISLATION LATER THIS YEAR (Washington, D.C.- July 21, 2016: News Release from office of Sen. Rubio) – U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) today urged Senate leaders of both parties to make citrus greening a priority in tax legislation expected to be considered by Congress …
Citrus Growers Share HLB Tips
Sharing information, conducting field trials, being efficient, replanting, thermotherapy and managing tree stress are some of the practices five growers think might help manage HLB. The growers were panelists discussing possible ways to survive the devastating disease during Florida Citrus Mutual’s recent annual conference in Bonita Springs. Bill Barber of Lykes Brothers started and ended his presentation with a call …
Letter to the Editor: Pete Spyke
By: Pete Spyke President of Arapaho Citrus Management, Inc. Bill Castle’s recent Letter to the Editor (see January 2016 Citrus Industry) called for our industry to engage in dialogue about HLB that is different from our usual kinds of communication. It seems that a good place to start may be with new varieties and rootstocks. Unless we increase the productive …
Metalized Mulch
Big boost in young tree growth and yield from insecticides and metalized mulch By Phil Stansly, Scott Croxton and Joby Sherrod With yields dropping in Florida and Brazil, the decision to replant is not an easy one. Still, prospects for eventual success of new plantings are better now than ever in the last 10 years. Think about it: 1) Asian …
What to Consider When Putting a New Grove in Place
By: Mongi Zekri There is a high degree of planning and preparation that goes into making a new citrus tree planting successful. Site preparation, installation of an irrigation system, selection of varieties and rootstocks, tree spacing, purchasing trees from reputable nurseries, and tree planting and care are all important. Site Preparation The planting site should be well prepared. Soils at …
Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees
Citrus Industry Legends Inducted into Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Friday, March 11, was the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Celebration Luncheon, where a crowd of over 400 citrus community and industry members welcomed three new inductees into the Hall of Fame. The inductees are Dr. William S. “Bill” Castle of Lake Alfred, John C. “Jack” Norris of Palm City, …