Florida Orange, Grapefruit Forecast Trimmed

Ernie NeffForecast

The forecast for Florida orange and grapefruit production were each trimmed by approximately 2 percent on Dec. 10. Forecasts for all other citrus varieties in all citrus-producing states were unchanged from the initial October report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The Florida all-orange forecast is now for 56 million boxes, down from 57 million …

Managing COVID-19 Risks in the Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19

By Joyjit Saha, Matthew Krug and Michelle D. Danyluk The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed so much. SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is primarily transmitted person-to-person, with no evidence it is transmitted by food or food packaging, including citrus and citrus products. Managing COVID-19 among workers is extremely important. COVID-19 impacts on the health of employees can have catastrophic …

nominations

Four to Join Citrus Hall of Fame

Ernie NeffAwards

The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame will induct four new members in 2021. They are John L. Jackson of Sorrento, Florida; the late Lew J. Prosser of Plant City, Florida; Adam H. Putnam of Memphis, Tennessee; and Steven D. “Steve” Sorrells of Arcadia, Florida. They will be inducted during a luncheon tentatively scheduled for Nov. 5 at Florida Southern College …

citrus greening

Uncovering How HLB Acts Inside a Citrus Tree

Ernie NeffHLB Management

Amit Levy with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) describes research he’s conducting into the way the causal agent of HLB interacts with a citrus tree. The causal agent is the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). Levy, whose research is funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, says CLas is found in a citrus …

orange juice

Hesperidin to Be Tested Against COVID-19

Ernie NeffCOVID-19

The National Institutes of Health’s National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) recently announced plans to evaluate the clinical efficacy of hesperidin against COVID-19. Orange juice and sweet oranges contain hesperidin. NCBI referred to hesperidin as “an old herbal medicine … used to treat vascular diseases in Europe and Australia and distributed with vitamin C as a dietary supplement in the …

John Gose: Serving Youth and Industry

Tacy CalliesCitrus

Ray Royce readily acknowledges grower and nurseryman John Gose’s many contributions to the Florida citrus industry, including serving “on way too many advisory committees to list.” Gose has even been president of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association, where Royce is executive director. PROGRAM LEADERSHIPBut it’s not Gose’s work with growers that most impresses the association executive. “I always think …

Give the Gift of Citrus This Holiday Season

Tacy CalliesTip of the Week

By Ruth Borger Sending boxes of Florida citrus across the country to friends and family during the holidays is a beloved tradition. But it is important to work with a certified grower/gift shipper as it is illegal in Florida for individuals to send citrus via the mail or delivery services. You can find a list of Florida gift fruit shippers …

Texas Research Should Help With HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Research

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have made a discovery that should help combat fastidious or “unculturable” pathogens, such as Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the HLB causal agent. HLB is also known as citrus greening disease. Kranthi Mandadi, a researcher with Texas A&M, and his colleagues have been working several years on developing new technologies to fight the fastidious pathogens. Mandadi and …

UF/IFAS Collaborates on HLB Research

Ernie NeffResearch

Several University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty are collaborating with other universities and organizations on research, especially for HLB. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), summarizes the work they are doing on a variety of grant-funded projects. Rogers starts with a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded project led by …

Things to Be Thankful for This Year

Tacy CalliesTip of the Week

By Ruth Borger Despite 2020 being a challenging year with a lot to complain about, there are many things to be thankful for. This is the time of year to take a few minutes to reflect on what we have to be grateful for. Here are just a few things to be thankful for that come quickly to mind. A …

Research Update on Individual Protective Covers

Tacy CalliesPests

By Fernando Alferez, Susmita Gaire, Ute Albrecht, Ozgur Batuman, Jawwad Qureshi and Mongi Zekri It has been nearly three years since the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) started its studies on individual protective covers (IPCs). The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of IPCs as a strategy to prevent HLB infection of …

citrus

All In For Citrus Podcast, November 2020

Taylor HillmanAll In For Citrus Podcast, Sponsored Content

The November episode of the All In For Citrus podcast covers a multitude of grant-funded research that the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus team both leads and collaborates on. Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers begins the podcast with a discussion on research projects UF/IFAS scientists are playing critical roles in collaborative …

SWFREC Recognizes Growers During Farm-City Week

Ernie NeffAgriculture

Nov. 18-25 is National Farm-City Week, a time to recognize and honor the contributions of the country’s agriculturalists and to strengthen the bond between urban and rural citizens. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) took the opportunity to recognize the agriculturists in its area. Some of its statements …

Harnessing the Power of Soil Microbes

Tacy CalliesSoil Improvement

Although often ignored due to their intangible nature, microorganisms play significant roles in agriculture. The natural microbial processes allow for long-lasting interactions between nutrients, plants and soils. Masanori Fujimoto, assistant professor at the University of Florida, is leading a research and education project titled “Harnessing Microbes for Sustainable Food Production.” The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s …

nematodes

Controls for Sting Nematodes

Ernie NeffPests

Larry Duncan provides updates on the damage done by sting nematodes and research into controlling them with nematicides and perennial peanut as a cover crop. Duncan is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) nematologist at the Citrus Research and Education Center. Sting nematodes have become a “real issue” for Florida growers in the past five …

citrus

Get Florida Freeze Updates With Winter Weather Watch

Tacy CalliesTip of the Week, Weather

By Chris Oswalt There was a time back in 1962, on Dec. 12 and 13, when a devastating freeze in Florida decimated a significant portion of the state’s citrus industry. In Polk County, the freeze caused serious damage to 134,000 acres of citrus. In 1963, citrus growers were concerned about receiving timely weather information and frost warning bulletins. Back then, …

Genome Sequencing and Other UF Research

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast

Michael Rogers discusses the importance of the recent sequencing of the trifoliate orange genome by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers and others. He also tells how growers can learn more about UF/IFAS research funded by the Florida Legislature. Rogers is director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred and …

Strong Growth for Citrus Water Market

Ernie NeffMarket

The global citrus water market is projected to reflect strong growth in 2020 in spite of the widespread coronavirus outbreak. While lockdown restrictions have limited demand from the food-service sector, lucrative opportunities have arisen for the short-term owing to the demand for functional beverages during the crisis period. A recent report by Future Market Insights indicates that demand for the …

Survey on Water and Technology Use

Ernie NeffTechnology, Water

University of Florida (UF) researchers are conducting a survey to study smart agriculture technology acceptance and adoption behavior of Florida specialty crop growers, specifically growers of crops requiring regular irrigation. Adam Watson, an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and doctoral candidate Raminder Kaur are requesting the information. The survey requests feedback on growers’ use of …

nutrition

CRDF Addresses Plant Improvement, Budget

Ernie NeffCRDF

Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) directors recently received an update on planned rootstock field trials and discussed the organization’s budget, CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler reported. ROOTSTOCK TRIALSThe new rootstock trials will be overseen by CRDF’s Select Committee on Plant Improvement, which met on Oct. 22 with citrus grower John Gose as chairman. Dantzler said the field trials …