By Jamie D. Burrow and Ruth Borger The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo has always been a time for the industry to gather, learn and reminiscence. During the Expo at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa on Aug. 16–17, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Extension booth is in a new location near the …
CRDF Board Focused on HLB Treatments
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board of directors meeting in July focused largely on the use of oxytetracycline (OTC) as an HLB treatment in citrus. The board considered projects testing it in combination with other antimicrobial compounds or as a standalone treatment. Trunk injection of OTC has given the Florida citrus industry hope that it might be a …
UF/IFAS Educational Programs at Expo
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus researchers and Extension staff will provide multiple educational programs at the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo Aug. 16–17. The event will be held at a new location this year — the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Attendance is free to growers, but registration is required. UF faculty and staff …
Final U.S. Citrus Forecast Has Several Changes
The final U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) citrus forecast for the 2022–23 season, issued July 12, has several changes from the June forecast. FLORIDAFlorida’s all-orange forecast rose approximately 1% to 15.85 million boxes, up 100,000 boxes from June. The full increase is in the Valencia orange forecast, which rose to 9.7 million boxes. Florida’s all-grapefruit …
Speeding Up the Screening Process for HLB Therapies
While it remains to be seen if trunk injection of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) is a game changer in the fight against HLB, it certainly has intensified the conversation about the potential for antimicrobial treatments. There are literally hundreds of materials that might be effective at reducing the HLB bacteria in trees, but it has been a slow process to screen …
Ag Commissioner Wilton Simpson Confirmed to Speak at Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson will speak during the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo’s General Session on Aug. 16. Simpson, a farmer himself, brings a perspective grounded in the importance and realities of agriculture. “We are excited to have Commissioner Simpson join us for the Expo,” says Robin Loftin, president of AgNet Media. “The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo …
Recovery Will Require a Multipronged Management Program
By Michael Rogers The 2022–23 Florida harvest season is now behind us. Yield losses magnified by the weather events this past season position the next couple of years as “make or break” for many growers. The lingering effects of hurricane Ian will impact next season’s crop as trees continue to recover and balance out canopy regrowth with fruit production. Despite …
Angle Calls for Faster Research Progress on HLB
Scott Angle, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, began the educational session during the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference with a message of urgency. He recognized the critical threat posed by HLB and said science could catch up to the problem. “Plant sciences are advancing globally at almost …
Gulf Citrus Growers Gain Hurricane Insights
The Gulf Citrus Growers Association (GCGA) hosted its annual meeting in Fort Myers in early June to tend to association business and elect new board members. The event was well attended, and growers were mostly in good spirits buoyed by observations that HLB therapies might be having positive impacts on trees. Ron Mahan, current GCGA president, captured that sentiment in …
2023 Citrus Achievement Award Winner Announced
Florida Grower magazine chose Glenn Beck as the 2023 Citrus Achievement Award winner. He is featured in the magazine’s June cover story. For more than 20 years, the people who have won the award have helped shape the history of the state’s citrus sector. Some years, selecting a winner is an easy process because the person checks so many boxes. …
Repurposing Tools to Tackle HLB
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP The hurricane-battered harvest numbers don’t show it, but we’re in a much better place in developing scientific solutions for managing HLB than we were a year ago. That’s because our scientists have discovered that tools invented to solve other problems can help address your one big problem. GIBBERELLIC ACIDFor example, gibberellic acid (GA) has …
New Twist Added to Psyllid Control
Lukasz Stelinski for years has promoted saving money on HLB control by spraying for Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) only when their populations reach a certain threshold. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor still promotes that concept, but with a slightly new twist. TRUNK INJECTION SHOWING PROMISEIn a virtual seminar on April 25, Stelinski advised growers …
All In For Citrus Podcast, April 2023
April was a busy month for citrus events with both the Citrus Growers’ Institute and the Florida Grower Citrus Show taking place. Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), joined the All In For Citrus podcast to discuss the success of the two events. Both gatherings …
Canopy Assist: A New Way to Measure Tree Health
Tripti Vashisth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor, joined the March episode of the All In For Citrus podcast to discuss a new smartphone application growers will be able to use soon to measure tree health. Plant growth regulators like gibberellic acid, 2,4-D and brassinosteroids have demonstrated the ability to improve tree health and …
Latest CRDF Funding Includes Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride Projects
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board of directors convened its March meeting with a busy agenda, addressing fast-moving current events. Discussion focused on newly approved oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) trunk-injection products currently being applied in groves. The board funded a project to measure the impact of OTC-HCI applications on the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). Specifically, the study will determine …
All In For Citrus Podcast, March 2023
Growers have been deploying several new therapies aimed at improving the health of HLB-infected citrus in recent years. Plant growth regulators like gibberellic acid, 2,4-D and brassinosteroids have demonstrated the ability to improve tree health and help in fruit retention. More recently, direct delivery of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) via trunk injection has been approved for use in groves. There is …
Citrus Institute: One-Stop Learning Opportunity for Growers
By Ruth Borger Keeping up with the latest news and research findings that impact how growers can successfully produce citrus in the HLB era can be an overwhelming task. Tracking down the right information at the right time for the changing conditions that face citrus growers takes time, effort and persistence. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences …
Citrus Agent Discusses Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride Products
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) multi-county citrus Extension agent Ajia Paolillo recently provided information about two commercial oxytetracycline hydrochloride products approved for use against HLB. TJ Biotech LLC was the first company to receive approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for trunk injection of this formulation. EPA granted TJ Biotech a Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, …
Sneak Peek: March 2023 Citrus Industry
The March cover of Citrus Industry magazine features a fresh face in a key industry leadership role for Florida. Morgan McKenna Porter is bringing youthful energy to her new title as president of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board of directors. In the cover story, learn about her background as well as her CRDF goals for helping growers …
Keeping Trees Healthy After Removing IPCs
Researchers and growers have found that individual protective covers (IPCs) can keep young trees free of HLB for two or more years while providing additional benefits like improved tree growth. The IPCs work by keeping HLB-infecting Asian citrus psyllids out of the tree canopies. But trees outgrow the covers and must eventually be removed. Researchers have found that about 60% …