Citrus Expo

New Happenings at CRDF

Tacy CalliesNews from our Sponsor

By Harold Browning Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation The August board meeting of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) provided several updates that should be shared with the industry and other readers. The CRDF/Bayer CropScience partnership announced on August 16 at Citrus Expo moves CRDF one step closer to having strong partners to develop and …

scott

Federal Program Provides Help for Irma Storm Damage

Josh McGillWeather

Release from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service If your area suffers damage from a natural disaster, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can help. The Emergency Watershed Protection Program relieves imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, wind­storms and hurricanes. Aid may include financial and technical assistance to remove debris from streams, protect …

Sneak Peek: October 2017 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The October issue of Citrus Industry magazine celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC). An in-depth article recaps the history of the University of Florida center, decade by decade. Also included is a timeline of major citrus events as well as CREC’s greatest accomplishments over the years. In addition, the issue looks at the present …

Argentinian Lemon Import Lawsuit Update

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, lemons

Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice asked for dismissal of the lawsuit by California lemon growers challenging a new import rule allowing Argentinian lemons into the United States. The U.S. Citrus Science Council (USCSC), representing approximately 750 family citrus farmers, filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in federal district court in Fresno, California, earlier this …

Florida Citrus Commission Passes Emergency Rule

Daniel CooperCitrus, Grapefruit, Industry News Release

The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) held an emergency meeting on September 14 in response to a request for emergency rulemaking from the Florida Citrus Packers Association to approve rule 20ER17-2, addressing the Soluble Solids to Anhydrous Citrus Acid Maturity Standards for grapefruit and oranges for the 2017-18 season. The following emergency rule passed unanimously by the FCC: 20ER17-2 Grapefruit and Orange …

orange juice

What Is Happening to the Orange Juice Market?

Tacy CalliesEconomics

A historical perspective and current conditions are key to understanding what will happen to the orange juice market in the future if HLB-resistant trees are introduced. By Allen Morris Between 2001–02 and 2016–17, the Nielsen-measured retail U.S. orange juice market declined by 50 percent, Florida orange production declined by 70 percent and retail orange juice prices increased by 53 percent …

Citrus Expo

Bactericide Use: an Update at Citrus Expo

Tacy CalliesNews from our Sponsor

By Harold Browning Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation Use of bactericides to reduce disease levels in infected trees continues to be a topic of debate in Florida citrus. Now in the second season of grower use, many growers are continuing to use the three products containing oxytetracycline or streptomycin within their seasonal spray programs. The Citrus …

system

System Screens Out Citrus Greening-Carrying Insect

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, Industry News Release, Research

Imagine camping in the deep woods. You’d want a tent with mesh that prevents bugs – even those as small as gnats – from entering into your wildlife hangout. That’s the idea behind citrus under protective screens, or CUPS, which helps keep away a pinhead-sized insect that causes citrus greening, University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientists …

Rootstocks and HLB Tolerance — Another Perspective

Tacy CalliesHLB Management, Rootstocks

By Ute Albrecht Tolerance to a disease is generally defined as the ability to be productive in the presence of disease-causing organisms. This is contrary to resistance, which is defined as the ability to completely evade a pathogen due to specific resistance mechanisms. The question as to what defines an HLB-“tolerant” rootstock was posed in an article by Bill Castle, …

CUPS Test to Begin at California Research Center

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner

University of California (UC) scientists at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center (LREC) will soon begin to test the effect of growing citrus under protective screen (CUPS). CUPS is a proposed new method of controlling huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease, by keeping psyllids, small insects known to spread the disease, away from the trees. The test will evaluate the …

Time to Get Serious About Trialing New Scion/Rootstock Combinations

Tacy CalliesRootstocks, Scions

By Jude W. Grosser and Frederick G. Gmitter It’s no secret that citrus greening disease, or HLB, continues to take a heavy toll on the beloved Florida citrus industry. It has been estimated that the industry will need to replant over 3 million trees per year for the next 10 years just to get back to normal. So the million-dollar …

Citrus Expo

A Glimpse at CRDF Programs and Planning

Tacy CalliesCitrus, News from our Sponsor

By Harold Browning Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation As we start the new fiscal year at the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), there are a number of priority activities in place to focus effort and resources on important tools for managing citrus in the presence of HLB. Here are some highlights. Currently, CRDF is sponsoring …

Hunt Brothers Fellowship Grows Future Citrus Industry Leaders

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release, Research

Even when Matt Mattia was studying tomato breeding as a master’s student at the University of Florida (UF), he was dreaming of citrus. Now a doctoral student at UF, he’s working toward achieving that dream of working in one of Florida’s most important industries. Thanks to the Hunt Brothers Fellowship, which funds graduate research in citrus, Mattia can live, work …

export expectations

Moroccan Citrus: Increased Production Brings Marketing Challenges

Tacy CalliesCitrus

By Hassan Farouk Ahmed Morocco’s citrus production reached 2.3 million metric tons (MT) in 2016–17, an increase of 15 percent over the previous marketing year. Orange production increased by 4 percent, to 962,250 MT, while tangerine and mandarin production increased 24 percent to 1,325,246 MT. Much of the increase in production was due to increases in the area harvested, as …

labor

Farm Labor Supervisor Training Coming in Fall

Ernie NeffLabor

Carlene Thissen, project coordinator for farm labor supervisor training at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee, discusses the training scheduled for this fall. “We have for the last five years offered training to farm labor supervisors,” Thissen says. “So basically the way we say it, regarding farm workers, we make their bosses better. And we make sure …

Understanding Soil-Moisture Sensor Data

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Irrigation

By Arnold Schumann and Laura Waldo Florida citrus trees may require irrigation throughout the year due to the extremely sandy soils with low water-holding capacities and the warm subtropical climate with distinct drought periods in spring. Citrus trees are evergreen and may be actively growing at any time, with no true dormant phase. HLB-affected trees are particularly prone to multiple …

Fred Gmitter: Slow Road to Fast Genetics

Tacy CalliesBreeding, Citrus

By Ernie Neff Even Nostradamus would have struggled to predict a career path for a 25-year-old Fred Gmitter. Gmitter had quit college after three years at Rutgers University, where he studied English literature with plans to teach. He said he “became completely disillusioned” with that plan. He married, worked as a delivery truck driver and warehouse laborer, and traveled out …

Citrus Expo

Field Trials of Rootstocks and Scions: What Can They Tell Us?

Tacy CalliesNews from our Sponsor, Rootstocks, Scions

By Harold Browning Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation Plant breeding programs have been a mainstay of citrus production worldwide. They have served as a basis for gradual improvement in fruit quality, adaptability to varying growing environments, and most importantly, to disease management. For that reason, new germplasm has been a front line of pursuit in the …

Georgia Prison Gets Citrus Plot

Tacy CalliesCitrus

By Tacy Callies With the recent birth of the Georgia Citrus Association (GCA), many small commercial citrus groves are getting started in the state. Georgia’s newest citrus planting, however, is not a commercial grove. It’s a 100-tree installation that was planted this spring at the Mitchell County Correctional Institute. Dubbed MitCo Grow by a 4-H student, the project is the …

florida citrus

June Citrus Forecast: Oranges Up; Tangerines Down

Daniel CooperCitrus, Crop Forecast

ORANGES The 2016-2017 Florida all-orange forecast released by Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is up 500,000 boxes to 68.5 million boxes. The increase is in Valencia oranges. The total includes 33 million boxes of non-Valencias (early, midseason, and Navel varieties) and 35.5 million boxes of Valencias. For the previous 10 seasons used in …