There Is No Crystal Ball

Josh McGillextension, hurricane

By Ajia Paolillo There is no crystal ball when it comes to anything in life, including agriculture. Growers are at the mercy of Mother Nature’s glory and fury. Over time, the citrus industry has developed production techniques and practices to help during the hard times. Microsprinkler irrigation is used both to provide targeted, much needed water during bloom, fruit set …

Sourcing Sweetness Compounds in Citrus

Josh McGillAll In For Citrus Podcast, Research

A lot goes into a piece of citrus fruit. Down to the molecular level, there’s millions of compounds that make up Florida’s signature crop. Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are exploring the genetic building blocks of citrus to learn how individual compounds can be used to enhance the fruit. Those applications might …

Effects of Compost and Organic Amendments on Weed Control

Josh McGillResearch, weeds

By Ramdas Kanissery and Mahesh Bashyal Using compost and soil amendments is beneficial to Florida citrus groves. Florida soils are sandy and have a low organic matter and cation exchange capacity. Adding compost and organic amendments (e.g., humic acid) can enhance the soil’s ability to retain water and nutrients. These practices can also boost soil microbial activity and improve soil …

Stelinski and Wang Among UF Faculty Honored

Josh McGillAwards

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elected 19 University of Florida faculty to its newest class. The honor recognizes extraordinary impact and achievement across disciplines. Two of those honored, Lukasz Stelinski and Nian Wang, work at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center.  Stelinski is a professor …

Keeping Trees Healthy After Removing IPCs

Josh McGillIPCs, Research

Researchers and growers have found that individual protective covers (IPCs) can keep young trees free of HLB for two or more years while providing additional benefits like improved tree growth. The IPCs work by keeping HLB-infecting Asian citrus psyllids out of the tree canopies. But trees outgrow the covers and must eventually be removed. Researchers have found that about 60% …

Florida Orange Forecast Continues to Fall

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

February’s federal citrus forecast trimmed another 2 million boxes from Florida’s projected orange crop, dropping expected 2022–23 production to 16 million boxes. That’s an 11% drop from what had already been projected to be a historically low orange crop. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS). If the Florida orange forecast …

Refreshed Format for Florida Grower Citrus Show

Josh McGillEvents

Over the years, the Florida Grower Citrus Show has become the premier event for growers on the East Coast of Florida while drawing growers from other key production regions as well. Last year, AgNet Media purchased the assets of Florida Grower magazine. With that transaction came the show. Since that time, the team at AgNet Media, along with its partners …

Old Variety Gets a New Look

Josh McGillAll In For Citrus Podcast, Varieties

The Parson Brown is an early-season sweet orange that J.L. Carney identified in 1875. By the 1920s, the variety had become a popular cultivar among growers, but eventually plantings declined as Hamlin became the go-to selection for the early season. However, because of its apparent tolerance to HLB, Parson Brown is again stirring interest among growers. Manjul Dutt, assistant professor …

Sting Nematodes and IPCs

Josh McGillIPCs, Pests, Tip of the Week

By Larry Duncan and Fernando Alferez Newly planted citrus trees are far less tolerant of pests and diseases than when mature. Sting nematode (Belonolaimus longicaudatus) was not considered a serious economic threat to Florida citrus until successive hard freezes in the 1980s caused widespread replanting of groves. Patches of stunted, declining trees caused by the irregular distribution of sting nematodes …

CRDF Board Off to a Busy Start in 2023

Josh McGillCRDF, Research

The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) kicked off the year with its monthly board meeting in January. The board invited three researchers who had submitted pre-proposals to submit full proposals during the meeting. One proposal will study if the ingestion of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) will minimize the amount of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) in the gut of “hot” (or …

Legal Arguments Start Over Streptomycin in Citrus

Josh McGillLegal, Pesticides

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear oral arguments in late January challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of the antibiotic streptomycin as a pesticide on citrus crops. The lawsuit, brought by farmworker and public-interest groups, argues the use of streptomycin on citrus crops is unlawful under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and …

A Look at South Carolina Citrus

Josh McGillCold Hardy, Research

Citrus has been making its way north in recent years. So far, growers in North Florida and Georgia have had success producing the crop, with only minor incursions of HLB, the disease that has been devastating in Florida’s traditional citrus production areas. The Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, held in Savannah earlier this month, included a citrus program for …

Guidelines for ReMedium TI Use

Josh McGillHLB Management, Pesticides

Trunk injection of the oxytetracycline hydrochloride formulation ReMedium TI for HLB treatment was given final clearance Jan. 11. The product began moving into the Florida citrus industry that same day. Consequently, the product’s manufacturer and the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation both issued reminders and recommendations about the product’s use. Manufacturer TJ BioTech, LLC suggested the following things …

citrus

All In For Citrus Podcast, January 2023

Josh McGillAll In For Citrus Podcast, Events

The January All In For Citrus podcast kicks off 2023 with a recap of a recent citrus program on gibberellic acid as well as a preview of a host of upcoming events. Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center, provides details on the various seminars scheduled on topics ranging from trunk injection to the new and improved …

Costa Rica Orange Crop to Rise

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International

Orange production in Costa Rica is forecast to increase almost 2% in 2022–2023, to 305,000 metric tons (MT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). Denser plantings on larger farms have driven up yields, and HLB management programs mitigate the worst impacts of the virus. HLB was first identified in Costa Rica in 2011. Harvest …

Citrus Leaders Provide Disaster Testimony

Josh McGillfreeze, hurricane

Florida agriculture took a wallop from Hurricane Ian last year. Throw in another hurricane (Nicole) and a freeze, and the disaster losses stacked up. The state’s citrus industry took a particularly hard hit. On Jan. 17, citrus industry representatives headed to Tallahassee to testify before the Florida Senate Agriculture Committee about the toll these weather events had on an already …

Florida orange

The Promise of Gibberellic Acid

Josh McGillHLB Management, PGRs

Researcher Tripti Vashisth shed additional light on the promise of gibberellic acid (GA) applications in rejuvenating HLB-affected orange trees during a Jan. 11 presentation. Some of the important messages that the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor highlighted were: VALENCIA TRIALIn a 2016 to 2022 Valencia field trial, GA applications made from September to January …

Department of Citrus Responding to Media and Promoting OJ

Josh McGillFlorida Department of Citrus, Marketing

The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) worked with Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) and public relations agency Red Hill Strategies to manage media requests regarding crop forecasts and the impacts of hurricanes in 2022. The FDOC has also worked with FCM to develop a toolkit about the application of oxytetracycline in the fight against HLB. FDOC Director of Global Marketing Samantha Lane …

Get the Timing Right for Gibberellic Acid Applications

Josh McGillHLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Tripti Vashisth Since 2021, a number of Florida growers have adopted the use of gibberellic acid (GA) in their grove management programs. This widespread adoption is due to the fact that GA-treated trees show canopy rejuvenation and reduction in preharvest fruit drop, resulting in improved yields. The research on Valencia shows that the effect of GA improves over time. …

Taking Care of Trees After the Five-Night Freeze

Josh McGillCold Hardy, freeze

“To some extent, every citrus variety has suffered from cold damage” due to the five-night freeze event that occurred in the cold-hardy citrus region Dec. 24–28. That report comes from Jake Price, Lowndes County Extension coordinator for University of Georgia Extension. “The site of our citrus research plots in Valdosta reached a low of 16 degrees, which is the lowest …