Disease defense is on the agenda for the February 2019 issue of Citrus Industry. University of Florida plant pathologist Megan Dewdney gives growers a fungal foliar disease forecast for this year. She warns that the risk of postbloom fruit drop is greater in 2019 than it was in 2017 and 2018. Other diseases she says growers should to be on …
Study Zeroes in on Organic Ways to Beat Citrus Greening
Results show promise for organic groves, but more research is needed. Since it was first discovered in the United States in 2005, the bacterial disease known as citrus greening, or Huanglongbing, has devastated millions of acres of citrus crops throughout this country and abroad, ravaging citrus groves in Asia, Africa and South America. Citrus greening has impacted conventional and organic …
All In For Citrus Podcast, January 2019
The January All In For Citrus Podcast includes a breakdown of what’s planned for citrus research in 2019, an update from citrus Extension, a goodbye message from an industry leader and the newest cutting-edge research in fighting citrus pathogens. Sponsored ContentTake Advantage of Rising Temperatures to Treat for Fire AntsJuly 1, 2025Take the Sting Out of Fire AntsJune 1, 2025A …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Citrus 70 Years Ago, as Told by Uncle Bill
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Editor’s note: Citrus Industry is pleased to welcome back Pieces of the Past to the pages of the magazine after publishing it on CitrusIndustry.net for the past year. This popular citrus history column returns to the magazine in preparation for Citrus Industry magazine’s 100th anniversary in January 2020. Leading up to the anniversary, each Pieces of …
Block Grant Administrator to Visit Florida Citrus Industry
According to Mike Sparks, Florida Citrus Mutual executive vice president/CEO, Block Grant Administrator Elias Mathes will be in the Florida citrus industry next week and available to discuss the status and/or payment of growers’ block grant claims. Locations and time frames are as follows: Jan. 23, Bartow, Citrus Mutual Offices, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 24, Sebring, Highlands …
Food-Safety Recommendations for Fresh Market Citrus
It’s time to prepare for implementation of the Produce Safety Rule. By Travis Chapin, Michelle Danyluk and Keith Schneider In preparation for implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule (PSR), growers, harvesters and packers of fresh citrus are required to attend standardized food-safety training, such as the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) grower training course, which outlines the minimum …
Windbreaks for Citrus
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Xavier Martini recommends planting windbreaks on two or more sides of citrus groves. He gave this advice to growers at a recent Citrus Insect Management Workshop in Lake Alfred, Florida. Martini said windbreaks do a good job of keeping canker and HLB-spreading psyllids out of groves. The trees also help …
Rubio Calls on DeSantis to Disburse Citrus Aid
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio implored Florida’s new governor Tuesday to start spreading disaster-relief money approved nearly a year ago to address massive citrus-industry damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017. Rubio said in a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis that money in a $343 million block grant needs to be disbursed to citrus growers. Rubio said the federal government shutdown has …
Citrus Crop Forecast Postponed
The Jan. 11 citrus crop forecast has been postponed due to the federal government shutdown, reports Bill Curtis, agricultural statistics administrator for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Fruit and Vegetables. “Our office is currently closed, and we do not have access to any USDA information,” says Curtis. “Mark Hudson’s (Florida state statistician) federal phone has …
Government Shutdown Not Affecting California Citrus — Yet
An analysis by California Citrus Mutual (CCM) indicates there is no major impact at the present time on government programs that affect California’s citrus industry. This could change if the shutdown drags on, however. According to the report, “Our major priority would be the ACP/HLB program sometimes known as CHRP (Citrus Health Response Program). We are not suffering any major …
Recent Pest Concerns in Florida Citrus
By Lauren Diepenbrock While Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) are an ongoing concern in Florida citrus due to their role in spreading the bacterium associated with citrus greening, they are not the only pest of concern to growers. Citrus leafminer (CLM) and root weevils are two pests that have been raising concerns and adding to the challenge of managing productive citrus …
Citrus Breeding in Uruguay
A primary job for scientists breeding citrus in Uruguay is to help the approximately 42,000-acre industry develop fresh fruit for export, Fernando Rivas said at a recent international citrus breeders symposium in Lake Alfred, Florida. Rivas works for Uruguay’s National Institute of Agricultural Research. On. Dec. 4, Rivas told an audience of about 70 at the Citrus Research and Education …
Italian Citrus Breeding
Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) began spreading in Sicily in the early 2000s because the Italian citrus industry’s standard rootstock was CTV-susceptible sour orange, reported Marco Caruso at a recent symposium of international citrus breeders. Consequently, approximately 74,000 acres will be replanted with CTV-tolerant rootstocks over the next few years, he said. Caruso, a citrus breeding expert with Italy’s Research Centre …
California Citrus Crop Report Summary
California Citrus Mutual reports that the California citrus crop summary for 2017 is now complete. The data shows a strong season for the state’s citrus growers. The total value for all California citrus is about $3.84 billion. There are 324,360 acres, which produced 257,830 tons of citrus. Navels continue to hold the number-one spot for acreage with 148,179 bearing acres …
Rogers Reviews 2018 in Citrus
Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers recently took a look back at the Florida citrus industry in 2018 from a grower and researcher perspective. Rogers said 2018 was “a bit calmer” for everyone in the industry than the prior year. “Our main citrus-growing regions in the state dodged major hurricanes this year … We really needed a break …
Sneak Peek: January 2019 Citrus Industry Magazine
It’s no secret that the most damaging pest in Florida citrus is the Asian citrus psyllid. But there are other bugs growers need to watch out for, too. The January issue of Citrus Industry magazine takes a look at current pests of concern and offers management methods. An article on HLB reduction strategies focuses on tools growers can use to …
2016-17 Florida Citrus Season: Smaller Harvest, Higher Prices
A new report from economists with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP) showed higher prices offset production declines during Florida’s 2016-17 citrus growing season, and the industry’s overall economic contributions changed little from 2015-16. Titled, “Economic Contributions of the Florida Citrus Industry in 2016-17,” the report was formally presented to …
California Citrus Conference Calls Attention to Key Industry Issues
By Len Wilcox The Citrus Research Board’s (CRB) annual California Citrus Conference took place in October in Visalia. This year’s event included a celebration of the organization’s 50th anniversary. The CRB is an important resource to California’s citrus industry. It awards more than $7 million each year to researchers throughout the state. Since 2008, CRB has focused much of its …
International Citrus Breeders Draw Attention
Approximately 70 growers, researchers and others listened to citrus breeders from other countries discuss their programs and objectives in Lake Alfred, Florida, earlier this month. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) hosted the event. Michael Rogers, CREC director, provided an overview of the gathering. “This international citrus breeders symposium is …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Like Florida Citrus, Beauty Comes from Inside
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In 1937, the Florida Citrus Commission released a booklet titled “How to Get the Most Out of Life,” by etiquette guru Emily Post. It included snippets of wisdom along with numerous plugs for the Florida citrus industry. The first page notes that “Brides Wear Orange Blossoms — because these fragrant, exquisite blossoms, in their flawless purity, symbolize …