Now a COVID-19 hot spot, California agriculture has been working to protect its labor force from the pandemic. However, COVID-19 exposures have occurred and illness reports are on the rise. “Rising rates in the Central Valley are concerning. California is making $52M available to increase testing, contact tracing and quarantine efforts, and sending strike teams to four counties with increased …
IPM Approaches to Reduce Psyllid Populations
Lukasz Stelinski recently shared integrated pest management strategies for reducing Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) populations to optimize tree health and yield. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor of entomology and nematology presented the information during the 2020 virtual Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference. Even with approximately 100 percent of Florida citrus trees infected with huanglongbing …
Dietary Guidelines Report Is Positive for Fruit Juice
According to the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), the conclusions and statements presented in a federal report related to 100 percent fruit juice are positive. The first print of the federal Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) report was released on July 15. This report will be used to develop the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) later this year. These …
Steger Forecast for Florida Oranges
Elizabeth Steger, president of Citrus Consulting International, has forecast Florida’s 2020-21 orange crop at 62 million boxes. That is 8.35 percent fewer oranges than the 67.65 million boxes the state produced last season. [See the final 2019-20 season forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) here.] Steger has been forecasting the size of Florida’s orange crop prior to the …
First CLas-Positive ACP Found in California Grove
An Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) sample has been confirmed positive for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the bacteria that causes huanglongbing (HLB). The sample was collected from a commercial citrus grove in the Woodcrest area of Riverside County. Confirmed by Citrus Research Board’s Jerry Dimitman Laboratory, this single adult psyllid is the first CLas-positive ACP found in a commercial citrus grove …
Citrus Expo to Cover Wide Range of Production Topics
The Citrus Expo team and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have joined forces to offer educational sessions in a virtual format for this year’s Citrus Expo. On Aug. 19–20, the 2020 seminar program will debut online at CitrusExpo.net at 9:30 a.m. Attendees will be able to watch videos of research presentations. With safety as …
The Future Faces of Florida Citrus
Meet the four students who received the FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarships. By Tacy Callies The FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarships (CAPS) program, a partnership between AgNet Media and FMC, was created to support Florida citrus production and encourage interested youth to pursue careers in citrus. Two University of Florida students and two Florida Southern College students each were awarded …
Collecting Unsolicited Seeds
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently issued warnings about unsolicited packages of seed received through the mail. See a previous article about the warnings. APHIS is collecting as many seed packages as possible to determine whether they present a threat to U.S. agriculture or …
Kaolin Particle Films for Citrus Under HLB Pressure
Managing the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) that spreads citrus greening disease (HLB) has become a crucial task at the forefront of much research. One management option that has proven to reduce ACP populations while increasing tree growth and yield is particle film. During the 2020 virtual Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences …
OJ May Help Lower Blood Pressure
A growing body of scientific research shows that 100 percent orange juice (OJ), and its vitamins and minerals, may play a beneficial role in helping to lower blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. Recently, a randomized control study performed by researchers at Eurecat, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, in Reus, Spain concluded that 100 percent OJ and 100 percent OJ fortified …
Report Suspicious Seeds From China
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is warning Floridians about unsolicited packages of seeds received through the mail. The seed packets may arrive unexpectedly in packages bearing Chinese characters, may bear the name China Post, and may be labeled as jewelry. They have been reported in multiple states. As of July 28, FDACS has received at least 631 reports from …
California Budget Includes HLB Funding
Funding for Asian citrus psyllid (ACP)/huanglongbing (HLB) programs and the Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Division (CPDPD), an agency of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), were included in the 2020-2021 California budget. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the budget on June 29. The CPDPD, known also as the Citrus Division, utilizes state, federal and grower-generated funds to prevent …
Growing Finger Limes in Florida: Lessons Learned So Far
By Manjul Dutt and Jude Grosser Finger lime, a distant relative of sweet orange and grapefruit, is a relatively new crop species for Florida. It is an Australian native species that has been gaining in popularity and importance in the last few years because of its unique fruit characteristics and disease tolerance, which sets it apart from conventional sweet orange …
Oak Leaf Extracts Display Curative Effects Against HLB
As demand increases for a cure to huanglongbing (HLB), experts are studying the most effective ways to control the damaging citrus disease. A research project funded by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is focusing on the effects of oak leaf extracts on CLas-infected citrus trees. CLas (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) is the bacteria the causes …
New Resource to Help Fight Citrus Greening
If information is power, Florida citrus growers have a new asset in their fight against citrus greening disease. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) statewide citrus program launched a major revision of a website, providing instant access to a portfolio of information valuable to growers. The http://citrusresearch.ifas.ufl.edu/ website is now easier to navigate and includes …
Rootstock and Scion Affect Orange Juice Flavor
By Yu Wang, Fred Gmitter and Jude Grosser A major concern for the citrus industry is a significant decline in production due to huanglongbing (HLB). In addition to the production shortfalls are losses due to fruit rejection by packinghouses and juice processing plants as a result of inadequate size and low sugar content. Bitterness and metallic off flavors in the …
APHIS Annual Report Highlights Citrus Efforts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently released an annual report titled “Plant Protection and Quarantine: Helping U.S. Agriculture Thrive — Across the Country and Around the World.” The document includes updates on efforts to manage citrus diseases. “PPQ (Plant Protection and Quarantine) stands shoulder-to-shoulder with citrus growers to combat citrus canker, huanglongbing (HLB …
Growers Urged to Continue HLB Best Practices
The University of California, Riverside (UCR) recently released information regarding a promising new treatment for huanglongbing (HLB) and the Asian citrus psyllid that “effectively kills the bacterium causing the disease with a naturally occurring molecule found in wild citrus relatives.” While this news has exciting potential, UCR and California Department of Food and Agriculture scientists agree that growers should continue …
New Book on the Asian Citrus Psyllid and HLB
A book about the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and huanglongbing (HLB), edited by Jawwad Qureshi and the late Phil Stansly, was recently published by the Center for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI). Qureshi is an entomologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS); Stansly was also a UF/IFAS entomologist. The book is Asian Citrus Psyllid: …
New Rootstocks in the Citrus Breeding Pipeline
By Jude Grosser, Fred Gmitter and Kim Bowman Two citrus breeding programs have identified several rootstocks that can currently be planted with confidence when combined with appropriate scions, including mid- and late-season oranges, and grown with emerging enhanced nutrition programs. These citrus breeding programs are at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education …