University of California, Riverside (UCR) scientist Hailing Jin believes she has found a substance capable of controlling the deadly citrus greening disease known as huanglongbing (HLB). The potential cure Jin discovered is a peptide found in the fruit of greening-tolerant Australian finger limes, which have been consumed by humans for hundreds of years. Invaio Sciences, Inc., a multi-platform technology company …
Organic Solutions to Citrus Greening Sought
The Organic Center is currently working with the University of Florida, the University of California, Riverside, and several citrus growers and industry members to conduct a national review of how citrus greening disease is impacting organic growers and other industry members. The information will be used to develop a large-scale holistic research project proposal targeted toward protecting organic citrus growers from citrus …
HLB Preparedness in Australia
Learning how other countries manage huanglongbing (HLB) will help shape Australia’s response if the damaging citrus disease hits its shores, according to New South Wales (NSW) citrus pathologist Nerida Donovan. One of the biggest lessons so far has been the importance of treating the psyllid vector with the same respect as the disease. Donovan, with the NSW Department of Primary …
Face Coverings Essential in the Citrus Industry
By Michelle Danyluk and Ben Chapman COVID-19 has changed so much about how we operate. Managing COVID-19 amongst workers is extremely important. Its impacts on the health of employees can have catastrophic effects when operations are shuttered by health departments if the virus spreads out of control. This has happened in many food and agriculture sectors. There have been hundreds …
AI Will Be Another Tool for Citrus Greening
Artificial intelligence (AI) will likely help growers and researchers cope with citrus greening (huanglongbing, known as HLB) and other citrus problems over the long run. That’s the belief of J. Scott Angle, the new head of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Angle, UF’s vice president for agriculture and natural resources, says AI is a …
Grapefruit Ingredient Has New Use
A new active ingredient in grapefruit, discovered and developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in insecticides and insect repellents. The new ingredient, nootkatone, repels and kill ticks, mosquitoes and a wide variety of other biting pests. Nootkatone, a natural organic compound, is responsible for the characteristic …
COVID-19 and Farm Labor
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is encouraging growers to ensure that the farm labor contractors with whom they work pledge to implement COVID-19 workplace safety guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FDACS issued an addendum to be signed by farm labor contractors (see here) and a training acknowledgment form to be signed …
Florida Citrus Acres Declining
Florida’s struggling citrus industry is using nearly 50 percent fewer acres than 20 years ago, according to an annual end-of-season report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Florida Field Office calculated 419,542 citrus acres in Florida as the 2019–2020 growing season ended in July. The acreage figure was down 3 percent from the …
Citrus Production Guide Available
The 2020-2021 Florida Citrus Production Guide is now available. See the online version of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences resource. Hard copies of the guide can be obtained at local UF/IFAS Extension county offices. Get the list of citrus Extension agents here. It is always best to email or call the agent ahead of time …
Psyllid Study to Determine Degree of HLB Risk
University of California Riverside Extension Specialist Monique Rivera said that funding for a new research project to study the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) has been approved. The project will take a closer look at the phenology of huanglongbing (the citrus disease ACP spreads) and its prevalence in psyllid populations. The scientists will be looking for patterns that will help them …
State Argues Citrus Fight Not Finished
Though the state last month paid more than $19 million in the case, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services wants the state Supreme Court to resolve underlying legal issues in a nearly two-decade battle about the state cutting down Lee County homeowners’ healthy citrus trees. On Aug. 13, the Supreme Court dismissed the case as moot because the …
Infected ACP Found in California Commercial Grove Is No Surprise
For the first time, an Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) carrying the bacteria which causes huanglongbing (HLB) was found in a commercial grove in Riverside County. While the discovery has prompted concern, University of California Riverside Extension Specialist Monique Rivera said that the find has been expected and is not all that surprising. “We’ve had positive trees removed here in Riverside, …
All In For Citrus Podcast, August 2020
August brings a special episode of the All In For Citrus podcast as listeners hear from the new leader of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and get an update on digital offerings. Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers starts the episode by announcing a redesign to the UF/IFAS Citrus Research website. The …
Weird Trunk Disorders in Groves
Florida growers, Extension agents and others have been baffled by unusual trunk symptoms during what Evan Johnson termed “the year of the weird trunk disorder.” Growers spotted the disorders, which were similar to phytophthora, in groves over the past one and half to two years. Johnson addressed three of the disorders, which have been found in multiple counties. Johnson, a …
Cover Crops and Nematicides for Sting Nematode Management
By Larry Duncan, Johan Desaeger and Sheng-Yen Wu The citrus row middle habitat changed profoundly beginning in the 1970s as mowing replaced disking for weed management. This change ended the costly cycle of cutting and regrowing citrus roots near the soil surface and reduced soil erosion, among other benefits. Mowing also allowed a seasonal succession of native plants to flourish, …
Citrus Researcher Earns National Award
Researcher. Scholar. Change agent. Nian Wang, a professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been recognized for all of these roles with an award from the American Phytopathological Society (APS) at its 2020 annual meeting. Wang received the Ruth Allen award, which honors people who have made an outstanding, innovative research contribution that has …
Citrus Legal Fight Dismissed After Payment
After the Legislature provided money and a check was sent, the Florida Supreme Court dismissed a nearly two-decade legal battle over the state cutting down Lee County homeowners’ healthy citrus trees. Lawmakers this year approved spending more than $19 million to pay a judgment in the class-action lawsuit, which stemmed from trees being cut down amid efforts to stop the …
New Targets Found for HLB Treatments
Thanks to recent advances in metabolic modeling, scientists are closer to gaining the upper hand on citrus greening (also known as huanglongbing or HLB), a disease that has wiped out citrus orchards across the globe. New models of the bacterium linked to the disease reveal control methods that were previously unavailable. Metabolic models of organisms are like road maps of …
California Citrus Movement Rules Amended
The Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program, an agency of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), has revised the rules governing shipment of citrus within the state. The rules are in place to protect commercial citrus groves from the threat of huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Effective July 31, 2020, bulk citrus fruit may be shipped directly to a packinghouse …
Made in the Shade
Feral citrus growing in natural hammocks reveals insights about production and HLB. By Christopher Vincent and Anirban Guha Would you rather go outside in August and stand for a few hours in the sun or in the shade? It turns out citrus prefers the shade, too. In the past two years, we have been researching the health of citrus growing …