Sneak Peek: February 2022 Citrus Industry

Josh McGillSneak Peek

In the February issue of Citrus Industry magazine, Florida growers will find out what diseases to watch for this season. Megan Dewdney’s annual foliar fungal disease round-up reports on what some of the major problems are likely to be in 2022. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant pathologist and Extension specialist provides tips on …

Florida Orange Brix Levels Not So Sweet Yet

Josh McGillOrange Juice, Processing

Florida citrus growers and orange juice processors are reporting low Brix levels as the 2021–2022 harvest season continues. The Jan. 10 edition of the Market News Bulletin from Florida Citrus Mutual noted average Brix of 9.83. According to Bob Behr, chief executive officer of Florida’s Natural Growers, juice oranges being harvested now are running below average. “Citrus greening continues to …

Pest Management: A New Approach to an Age-Old Challenge

Tacy CalliesPests

By Brad Turner From a family with deep Florida roots, I have over 40 years of experience in commercial citrus production. I learned the industry from the ground up by working in the family groves while studying citrus production at Florida Southern College. I have owned a citrus nursery, my own groves and a citrus caretaking business. I have also …

Update on Florida’s Orange Brix Issue

Ernie NeffOrange Juice

Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) provided additional information about the issue of low Brix oranges in its Nov. 19 Triangle newsletter. It reported that Florida growers and processors “are bracing for another season of low Brix oranges.” Earlier this year, FCM sought enforcement discretion regarding Brix in pasteurized orange juice, not from concentrate (NFC), from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) with the …

Citrus Specialist John Pehrson Honored

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner

It’s been 30 years since John Pehrson retired as a University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) citrus specialist, but he left such a lasting impression on the citrus industry that his work is still revered today. Pehrson was gifted at translating University of California (UC) research and offering practical solutions to help growers better manage their resources and improve citrus …

Research on Rootstocks: More Than HLB

Ernie NeffRootstocks

Plant breeders Fred Gmitter and Jude Grosser report on their efforts to develop rootstocks that perform well in Florida from several perspectives. In addition to seeking tolerance to HLB, they are working on rootstocks that might control tree size, deal with other diseases and pests and perform in a range of soils. Gmitter and Grosser are University of Florida Institute …

red sea

Top Grower Concerns: Input Costs and Availability

Tacy CalliesAgriculture

Trade and labor used to top the concern list for Florida’s specialty crop growers. Not anymore. The biggest concerns now are input prices and availability, says Mike Joyner, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) president. Joyner reports that in talking to growers in the field, he has heard of fertilizer costs doubling – if growers can even get it. “The …

nutrition

Open Conversation, Hands-On Exhibits and Field Tours

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast, Events

Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) Director Michael Rogers previews the Nov. 16 Open House/Field Day at the CREC in Lake Alfred. The CREC is part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The program will begin at 9 a.m. “It starts off with a panel discussion, talking about strategies to improve overall health of …

Gator Bites: Competition for Clementines

Ernie NeffVarieties

Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) Director Michael Rogers recently praised the Gator Bites mandarin variety that is being developed by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Gator Bites look like California clementines, branded as Cuties and Halos, but Rogers thinks Gator Bites is a better piece of fruit. “This makes the Cuties and Halos …

An Improved Method of Nutrient Analysis

Tacy CalliesNutrition, Technology, Tip of the Week

By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht Optimizing nutrition is important for tree health and productivity and can improve tolerance to stresses and diseases. Good nutrient management requires regular field monitoring to identify problems and examine crop responses. Leaves need to be collected and sent to a specialized laboratory for detailed information on macronutrients and micronutrients, which is time-consuming and costly. …

HLB Research Is Focus of Short Videos

Ernie NeffHLB Management

Two short videos about HLB-related research were available at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) booth at Citrus Expo in August. The videos are available online for viewing. UF/IFAS researcher Tripti Vashisth narrated the video, HLB-Associated Preharvest Fruit Drop. She said up to 40% of fruit can drop from mildly HLB-symptomatic trees shortly before harvest, …

Technologies for Improved Nutrient Analysis

Tacy CalliesNutrition, Technology

By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht Nutrient management is important for citrus production. Regular nutrient assessments should be conducted to optimize nutrient balance and prevent deficiencies or over-fertilization. Optimizing nutrition is important for tree health and can improve tolerance to stresses and diseases. Good nutrient management requires regular field monitoring to identify problems and examine crop responses. Leaves need to …

Georgia Growers: Stop Citrus Greening Spread

Tacy CalliesCitrus Greening

Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia assistant professor and small fruits pathologist, is concerned about the potential impact of citrus greening disease in Georgia. That’s why he is encouraging Georgia growers to quickly dispose of infected trees if any are found. “Once greening becomes really widespread and established in a lot of our trees, it’s really hard to stop it,” Oliver …

citrus crop forecast

Navel Oranges: Current Status and Future in Florida

Tacy CalliesVarieties

By Pete Spyke and Bill Castle Navel oranges are fairly tolerant of HLB, are popular and easy to sell, and offer a stable source of income that is only marginally related to worldwide supply and demand. Nevertheless, the Florida navel orange industry has experienced some tough times recently. Growers are questioning whether it is possible to grow navel oranges profitably …

Citrus Expo Offers New Information and Experiences

Tacy CalliesCitrus Expo, Tip of the Week

By Jamie Burrow and Ruth Borger Citrus Expo, hosted by AgNet Media with programming support from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), is being held in person Aug. 18-19 in North Fort Myers. Like in past years, UF/IFAS faculty will be presenting educational sessions on the latest information that growers can use to improve their …

Making Sense of Biologicals: Improve Fruit Size and Quality

Tacy CalliesBiostimulants, MSOB

Citrus growers need as many tools in their toolbox as possible. With the Florida citrus industry decimated in recent years, mainly due to citrus greening disease, growers are exploring all options to help them succeed. CYAN 365®, a biostimulant from C Green Ag Biotechnology, is one tool that has proven to help enhance the quality and size of citrus crops, …

Understanding Physiological Fruit Drop of Citrus

Tacy CalliesFruit Drop, Tip of the Week

By Tripti Vashisth, Megan Dewdney and Lauren Diepenbrock Citrus flowers profusely, but less than 2% of the flowers become harvestable fruit. In other words, 98% of the flowers seen during bloom will end up on the grove floor at some point during fruit development, whether as a flower, fruitlet, young fruit or mature fruit. Profuse flowering allows trees to produce …

2021-22 Orange Crop Forecast Up for Brazil

Ernie NeffCrop Forecast

Brazil released its first orange crop forecast for the 2021-22 season on May 27. According to a report published by Fundecitrus and its cooperators, 294.17 million boxes are expected for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt. The projected crop is 9.51% larger than the previous crop of 268.63 million boxes, but is still 10.53% lower than the …

Sneak Peek: June 2021 Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

There is no arguing that citrus greening has been the biggest change to the industry in the past 16 years. The disease is causing growers to do things differently. Researchers are helping growers adapt to change and find new solutions. Some of this research can be found in the June issue of Citrus Industry. FRUIT DROPOne of the problems exacerbated …

Sap Analysis for Detecting Nutrient Levels

Ernie NeffNutrition

Monitoring tree nutrient content via sap analysis is a fairly new concept in Florida citrus, but has at least a decades-long history in other crops. That history and other background information about the technique were addressed in a recent University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) virtual seminar. The workshop’s purpose was to introduce Florida’s citrus growers …