The educational seminars at the June Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference covered a wide range of topics intended to give growers hope that progress is being made in the fight against HLB. During the June All In For Citrus podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, …
Cover Crops for Managing HLB
By Davie Kadyampakeni and Miurel Brewer Row middle management is a key area that can improve tree performance. Row middles encompass 80% of citrus orchards, and 70% of the root system of citrus trees was located in row middles before huanglongbing (HLB). Typically, Florida citrus growers manage row middles using physical, chemical and mowing practices, often leaving them free of …
New Highlands County Agent’s Duties Include Citrus
Alissa Hevesh on June 17 became the new Highlands County agriculture production/natural resources Extension agent. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences position includes citrus agent duties. Hevesh received a dual bachelor’s degree in economics and environmental studies and a minor in leadership studies from Eckerd College in 2018. She received a master’s degree in food and …
Grower Mood Mixed at Mutual’s Annual Conference
Florida citrus growers gathered in rainy Bonita Springs last week for the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference. The event hosted by Florida Citrus Mutual drew a good crowd, who were happy to see the heavy rains brought by a no-name tropical system that helped break the drought in some areas of the state. The mood of growers was mixed. While …
Interstock Pros and Cons for HLB Management
The pros of using interstocks for HLB management seemed to outweigh the cons, based on a presentation horticulturist Manjul Dutt made at this spring’s Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. Dutt is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor. An interstock is a graft of a citrus selection that can be used as a bridge between …
Supporting Citrus Science
By Rob Gilbert, ragilber@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Let’s start with the most important thing. Citrus science remains a top priority of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Citrus is special. My goal for citrus is sustainability. That means profitability. Here are a few new ways UF/IFAS has demonstrated its support for citrus science during the past five …
How to Improve Herbicide Efficiency
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) weed scientist Ramdas Kanissery offered numerous tips and observations for improving herbicide efficiency at this spring’s Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. They included: In addition to discussing herbicides, Kanissery reported that cover cropping, an emergent practice in Florida citrus production, may contribute to longer-term weed management in row middles. Read more …
The Relationship Between Roots and OTC Treatments
Back in the early days of the HLB fight, it was observed that what is going on underground in citrus tree root systems is just as important as what is happening aboveground. In 2013, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service researchers published that 27% to 40% root loss due …
Repurposing Orange Peels for Heart Health
Orange peels may hold a key to better cardiovascular health, new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)-led research shows. Some gut bacteria help develop cardiovascular disease. When they feed on certain nutrients during digestion, gut bacteria produce trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Levels of TMAO can help predict future cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at the Cleveland Clinic. …
Pest Management in CUPS
By Jawwad Qureshi The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Figure 1) continues to feed on citrus trees infected with citrus greening and spread the disease to newly planted young trees. Therefore, it is not possible to produce a healthy citrus tree in an environment where citrus greening is endemic. Only the citrus under protective screen (CUPS, Figure 2) system allows the …
CRDF Focused on the Search for HLB Resistance
According to Rick Dantzler, Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) chief operating officer, the past seven days have been busy for CRDF’s committees. First, the Plant Improvement Committee, chaired by grower Joby Sherrod, reviewed several projects and ideas seeking HLB resistance in detail. A three-year plan for the plant improvement programs for University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …
How to Prevent Fruit Splitting
By Amir Rezazadeh Citrus fruit splitting is an important problem for growers, causing frustration and economic losses. This phenomenon occurs when the rinds of citrus fruits crack open, exposing the inner pulp. Understanding the reasons behind citrus fruit splitting is crucial for growers to implement effective preventive measures. IRRIGATION PRACTICES Inconsistent watering regimes, particularly irregular watering followed by heavy irrigation, …
Managing Chilli Thrips in CUPS
Chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis) has been documented in Florida since 1991. This pest has a history of impacting ornamentals, some vegetables, grapes and berry crops. Most recently, chilli thrips has affected citrus, but only in nurseries and in citrus under protective screens (CUPS). Feeding damage includes death of young flush (Figure 1), leaf damage on expanded flush that results in …
Rootstocks and OTC
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center hosted a May OJ Break educational seminar. Ute Albrecht, UF/IFAS associate professor of plant physiology, spoke during the event and gave an update on oxytetracycline (OTC) therapies being applied in citrus groves over the past two seasons. She gave a summary of research she …
Digging Into New Citrus Nutrient Recommendations
In 2022, the Florida Legislature allocated $8.7 million in funds to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to update nutrient recommendations for several specialty crops, including citrus. In some cases, it had been decades since the recommendations were updated. The case was made that it was time for nutrient recommendations for citrus that consider new …
Integrating Antibiotics Into a Broader Management Plan for HLB
By Lukasz Stelinski, Eric Roldan and Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski Use of antibiotics in fruit production is not a new idea, but it has only recently been applied on a larger scale in Florida citrus. The initial labels for huanglongbing (HLB) treatment with antibiotics in Florida citrus were approved in March 2016 in response to significant economic losses caused by HLB. Antibiotics …
Sting Nematodes in the HLB Era
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center hosted an OJ Break seminar in mid-May. Topics included management of nematodes, results of trunk-injection therapies and the use of cover crops in citrus. Larry Duncan, a UF/IFAS professor of nematology, presented research findings on the impact of sting nematodes in citrus. He provided …
All In For Citrus Podcast, May 2024
Late spring and early summer are busy times for University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus scientists. They are out in the field preparing new research projects for the coming season and assessing data from ongoing projects. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, discusses some of that work during the May …
Where Do Growers Stand With Trunk-Injection Therapy?
Florida growers are well into their second application of oxytetracycline (OTC) trunk injection as the 2023–24 season winds down. The results of the first application made last year are becoming somewhat clearer, but there’s still more to observe and learn about trunk injection. Ute Albrecht, associate professor of plant physiology with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …
How to Address Sectoring in Trunk-Injected Trees
By Ute Albrecht and Larissa Nunes Citrus growers who injected oxytetracycline (OTC) last year most likely experienced sectoring, which is the appearance of some portions of the canopy looking considerably healthier than the rest of the tree. RECENT RESEARCH In a recent trial in a commercial citrus grove, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers injected …