Fresh Oranges on a tree.

The Role of Plant Growth Regulators in Citrus

Josh McGillPGRs

Multi-county citrus Extension agent Ajia Paolillo discussed the role of plant growth regulators (PGRs) in groves in a recent Extension newsletter. She cited University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticulturists Tripti Vashisth and Fernando Alferez as sources. Here’s a summary of Paolillo’s article: GIBBERELLIC ACIDGibberellic acid (GA) is one of the PGRs used in citrus. It …

Pest Incidence and Management in CUPS

Josh McGillCUPS, Pests, Research

By Jawwad A. Qureshi and Salman Al-Shami The citrus under protective screen (CUPS, Figure 1) system is designed so citrus can grow inside screened enclosures to protect it from huanglongbing (HLB) and the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri). ACP is the primary vector of the pathogen responsible for causing HLB, known as citrus greening disease. This vector-pathogen combination is …

California Yields Most Citrus per Acre

Josh McGillProduction

California led the nation in boxes-per-acre yield for every citrus variety grown in 2021–22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) recently reported. The yields per acre, along with on-tree prices and other information, is in the agency’s Citrus Fruits 2022 Summary. ORANGES California’s 140,000 acres of bearing orange acres produced 289 boxes per acre in the …

Millennium Block

Citrus Growers Invited to Visit Variety Trial

Josh McGillEvents, Rootstocks, Varieties

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) will host a Millennium Block Variety Trial Field Day on Oct. 19. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. The Millennium Block is at 7850 Pruitt Research Road in Fort Pierce. Registration can be completed online here or by …

Florida Citrus Value Drops Steeply

Josh McGillFlorida, Production

The $438 million preliminary on-tree value of the 2021–2022 Florida citrus crop is 29% less than the $613 million revised value for 2020–2021, according to a federal Citrus Summary. The summary reported production, price and value of the 2021–2022 crop. It was released Sept. 7 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. PRODUCTION PLUMMETS Florida’s all citrus …

Deficit Irrigation Could Improve Fruit Quality in CUPS

Josh McGillCUPS, Irrigation, Research

By Fernando Alferez, Daniel Boakye, Susmita Gaire and Tim Gast Growing citrus under protective screen (CUPS) structures for fresh fruit production is effective in controlling HLB disease by completely excluding the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri). After several years of research on CUPS to grow HLB-free trees in Florida, and with commercial growers increasingly adopting this technology, there is …

CRAFT Cycle 4 Coming Soon

Josh McGillCRAFT, Florida, planting

The application window for Cycle 4 of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program is expected to open in early October and remain open for a period of 60 days. Projects approved for year four of the CRAFT program in Florida will have a planting deadline of June 2024. CRAFT is working to finalize a presentation of factors of …

Keller Is New Leader for Florida Citrus Association

Josh McGillCitrus, Florida

Emma Keller became executive director of the Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association (PRVCGA) Aug. 8. Keller, who is finishing her senior year at Warner University, succeeds Kait Shaw. She is working on a degree in agricultural science with a minor in communications. Keller was born in Charlotte County, Florida. “I grew up on an orange grove in Punta Gorda,” …

scott

Grower Response Needed After a Disaster

Josh McGillTip of the Week

By Christa Court Disaster events, such as extreme weather events (hurricanes, floods, droughts, etc.), have always been and will continue to be a threat for growers. Impacts to a citrus grove might include production losses associated with fruit drop from surviving trees and asset damages to buildings, machinery/equipment, irrigation systems and destroyed trees. Producers might also incur increased costs for …

Varroa Mite Management Guide to Protect Honey Bee Health

Josh McGillEnvironment, Pests

By Sabrina Halvorson The Honey Bee Health Coalition unveiled the 8th edition of the Tools for Varroa Management Guide. The guide provides information on the latest tools and options for beekeepers and others in the United States and Canada to keep bees healthy and manage varroa mites, which spread disease within and among honey bee colonies. An expert team of beekeepers, …

Optimizing Gibberellic Acid Applications in Florida Citrus

Josh McGillFruit Drop, HLB Management

Tripti Vashisth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor of horticultural sciences, has dedicated several years of research into the use of plant growth regulators like gibberellic acid (GA) to fight fruit drop in citrus. In the August All In For Citrus Podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, interviewed …

A Shift Toward Soil Microbes in Young Citrus Tree Care

Josh McGillCitrus, Sponsored Content

SUMMARY: Many Florida citrus growers have made the decision to shift their focus away from saving older HLB-infected trees and toward protecting and strengthening young citrus trees, using soil probiotics, before too much damage is done. Understanding citrus trees’ vascular systemsCitrus trees have developed a complex but effective circulatory system for the uptake, storage, and utilization of water and nutrients. …

Packinghouse Day Featured Updates and Award

Josh McGillAwards, Events, Fresh

Over 60 citrus industry representatives gathered Aug. 25 for the 61st annual Packinghouse Day at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. They heard updates on H-2A visa options for packinghouse workforce needs, an overview of citrus fruit export requirements and an update on food safety auditing. Faculty …

Psyllid Management Alert for Brazil

Josh McGillBrazil, HLB Management, Psyllids

The onset of rains in several regions of Brazil’s citrus belt has made it necessary for growers to pay added attention to citrus greening, Fundecitrus reported. The association of citrus growers and juice manufacturers from the state of São Paulo said the extra attention is needed due to the increase in greening-spreading psyllid populations in this period. Fundectirus reported that …

New Organic Transition Initiative

Josh McGillIndustry News Release, Organic

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced details of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) $300 million investment in a new Organic Transition Initiative. The initiative will help build new and better markets and streams of income for growers. The number of non-certified organic farms actively transitioning to organic production dropped by nearly 71% since 2008. USDA hopes to reverse this trend, …

Woman of the Year in Agriculture Named

Josh McGillAwards, Florida

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) named Madeline Mellinger the 2022 Woman of the Year in Agriculture. Mellinger founded Glades Crop Care, Inc. in 1972 and is still the company’s chief operating officer. Glades Crop Care provides integrated pest management and crop counseling services to more than 65,000 acres of plants and more than 60 varieties of fresh …

Progress With HLB Products

Josh McGillCitrus Expo, CRDF, HLB Management

Rick Dantzler, chief operating officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), spoke during the general session of the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. He provided an update on products he hopes will help the citrus industry reset and begin to increase production again. The products are two oxytetracycline (OTC) materials that can be injected into citrus trees. “We …

Using Technology to Support Citrus Management Decisions

Josh McGillTechnology

By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Sandra M. Guzmán Pests and diseases, nutrient deficiencies, tree stress from environmental conditions and other factors can be overwhelming. The arrival of sensors and small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) make it possible to gather large amounts of data to assess risk factors and estimate possible crop performance scenarios based on the availability of resources. At the …

production

European Lemon Crop Down; Grapefruit Up

Josh McGillGrapefruit, International, lemons

The European Union (EU) lemon crop for 2021–22 is expected to decline from the previous season while its grapefruit crop is projected to rise. LEMONEU lemon production is forecast at 1.5 million metric tons (MMT), down from the 1.7 MMT estimated for the previous season. Spain is the EU’s largest lemon producer and accounts for nearly 65% of EU production. …

A Two-Pronged Approach to Suppress Psyllids

Josh McGillHLB Management, Psyllids, Research

By Bryony C. Bonning and Lukasz L. Stelinski Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) transfer the pathogen that causes citrus greening from plant to plant as they feed. After confirmation of citrus greening in Florida in 2005, growers intensified their use of insecticides against ACP to try to stop disease spread. However, this method alone has yielded variable success and increased costs. …