citrus

IPCs Effective Against Psyllids and HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Pests, Psyllids

Long-time multi-county citrus Extension agent Mongi Zekri, who serves Southwest Florida counties, says individual protective covers (IPCs) work well in the fight against citrus greening, also known as HLB. “They have been very effective in controlling or managing citrus greening, because they don’t allow the citrus psyllid, which is the vector of the disease, to get to the tree,” Zekri …

weather

Agent Reports on Crop Conditions and Planting

Ernie Neffcrop, planting

After announcing at the August meeting of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation that the 2019–20 Florida Citrus Production Guide is now available, multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt talked about tree and crop conditions. He summarizes his presentation in an interview. “After all the rainfall we’ve had, and we’ve had quite a bit of good rainfall this past month …

craft

CRAFT Application Period Opening Soon

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

The Citrus Research and Field Trial Foundation Inc. (CRAFT Foundation) board of directors, technical working group (TWG), staff and a legion of volunteers have been working at top speed throughout the summer finalizing the formation, organization and funding of the CRAFT program. The first priority for the CRAFT Foundation staff and board of directors has been securing all available funding …

hurricane

Indian River Expects Minor Hurricane Damage

Ernie Neffhurricane

Florida’s Indian River area lies on the Atlantic Ocean and was the nearest Florida citrus region to Hurricane Dorian late Tuesday morning. Doug Bournique, Indian River Citrus League executive vice president, was optimistic that the region would escape major damage. “It looks like it’s going to track about 80 to 100 miles off the coastline, which is wonderful for our …

The Real Cost of HLB in Florida

Tacy CalliesEconomics, Production, Research

By Ariel Singerman This article summarizes the major changes in the cost of production for processed oranges in Florida since the outbreak of huanglongbing (HLB). To deal with the disease, growers have significantly changed their cultural practices. Those changes have had a considerable impact on the cost of production per acre. NOMINAL COSTS VS. REAL COSTSHowever, given that inflation also …

Lebbeck Mealybug Update

Ernie NeffPests

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock provides an update on the lebbeck mealybug, a new pest of Florida citrus detected in Highlands County in June. Diepenbrock reports that the mealybug was found June 14 by a Highlands County grower. It came from groves in Avon Park and Sebring. “It is definitely beyond one …

Growers Happy With Lebbeck Mealybug Response

Ernie NeffPests

Growers who attended a recent meeting in Sebring about the lebbeck mealybug left with good feelings about the official response to the pest, said Laurie Hurner, Highlands County Extension director and citrus agent. “Growers were very pleased with the information that was presented and how quickly we were able to get it out to the industry,” Hurner said. She reported …

Growers Have a Bigger Problem Than HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Market

“A bigger gorilla by far than HLB, going into the future, is slumping market demand for citrus products from Florida and apparently from other producing areas in the United States as well,” declares Apopka citrus grower Chip Henry of McGuire Groves. He believes the decline in demand for Florida citrus products is related to HLB reducing fruit quality. “Consumers are …

Psyllids

Psyllids, Yield and Weed Control

Ernie NeffPsyllids, weeds

Recent University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows that HLB-spreading psyllids can feed on weeds, and that good weed control can increase fruit yield. The research results were presented by UF/IFAS weed scientist Ramdas Kanissery, who works at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) in Immokalee. Kanissery said his work on psyllids feeding …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Back When Bushel Baskets Were the Next Big Thing

Tacy CalliesPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette While some things stay the same in citrus, others clearly do not. Today’s growers are experimenting with drones and other technology in the grove, but back in the 1920s, bushel baskets were making waves in the industry. Here’s an interesting excerpt from a March 1921 Citrus Industry article titled “Citrus Fruits in Bushel Baskets” by M.S. …

chemicals

Getting HLB Material Into Phloem

Ernie NeffHLB Management

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman discusses efforts to get materials that fight HLB into the citrus tree’s phloem, where it might be most effective. Batuman explains that bacteria that cause HLB “live inside the phloem of citrus. That is very difficult to reach to kill … by conventional methods, such as …

Study Shows Mandarin IPM Needs Work

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, IPM, Pests

According to a study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, current integrated pest management (IPM) techniques used in California mandarins may need to be adjusted to allow for differences between mandarins and oranges. The study suggests that following guidelines for oranges may lead to an overuse of pesticides in some situations. Almost all mandarins in America are grown in …

brazilian

Brazil’s Orange Forecast Announced for 2019–2020

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

The 2019–2020 orange crop forecast for Brazil, published on May 10 by Fundecitrus in cooperation with Markestrat, FEA-RP/USP and FCAV/Unesp, is 388.89 million boxes. Box weight is 90 pounds. The forecast region includes São Paulo and the west-southwest Minas Gerais Citrus Belt. The total orange production by variety is forecast as follows:• 76.97 million boxes of Hamlin, Westin and Rubi …

PFD

Pathology Research for HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management

Scientists from numerous countries attending the International Citrus Research Conference on HLB in March reported on pathology research that might help growers cope with the disease. Megan Dewdney, plant pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), summarized their reports at the recent Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. Dewdney shares the research findings in the current …

Grower Picks Favorites at Rootstock Trial

Ernie NeffRootstocks

Gardinier Florida Citrus General Manager Lee Jones named two rootstocks that looked appealing at an April 25 Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) rootstock field day in Highlands County. “(US) 942 kind of stands out to me,” he said. “(US) 812 looks good,” he added. “What we’re learning as we’re going is we’ve got to spoon feed this (citrus trees) …

soil

Soil and Water pH Play a Key Part in Nutrition

Tacy CalliesNutrition, Water

By Tripti Vashisth, Davie Kadyampakeni and Lushan Ghimire In the past few years, horticultural citrus grove management practices have changed significantly in Florida. It is a common observation across the state that huanglongbing (HLB)-affected trees respond well to complete and balanced nutrition programs. Therefore, citrus growers are currently focusing on intensive management of irrigation and nutrition. HLB-affected trees suffer a …

Capitol building

California Legislative Staff Updated on HLB Control Efforts

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, Legislative

Recently, California Citrus Mutual (CCM) hosted a lunchtime briefing at the Capitol. The purpose was to update legislative staff on the status of HLB in California and the industry’s continued efforts to prevent the disease from spreading into commercial groves. The briefing included a panel discussion with CCM Director of Government Affairs Alyssa Houtby, California Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention …

aphis

Hurricane Irma Raises Black Spot Threat

Ernie Neffblack spot, Diseases

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension pathologist and associate professor Megan Dewdney reported that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist Tim Gottwald thinks there’s a “fairly high” chance that Hurricane Irma spread citrus black spot. Black spot had been confined primarily to Southwest Florida, especially Collier and Hendry counties, before Irma hit the state with damaging …

Phytophthora: An Old Problem with New Challenges

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Evan Johnson Diseases caused by phytophthora continually threaten Florida citrus production. Brown rot can directly reduce yields of early maturing varieties including Hamlin and grapefruit, can delay harvest of fresh market fruit until infected fruit have dropped, or risk packinghouse rejection of the load because it can spread post-harvest. Foot and crown rot can kill trees but are uncommon …