Oak Mulch Can Improve Florida Flatwoods Soil

Tacy CalliesSoil Improvement, Tip of the Week

By Lorenzo Rossi With no cure for HLB available, searching for alternative mitigation strategies is an urgent priority for a sustainable citrus industry. Interest has grown regarding the use of organic amendments to improve the fertility of Florida native soils. Although hardwood mulch applications have been demonstrated to improve both tree health and soil fertility in other fruit industries, little …

Australia Fresh Orange Production to Dip

Josh McGillCrop Forecast, International

Australia fresh orange production of 505,000 metric tons (MT) is forecast for marketing year 2022–23. That’s a 6% decrease from 535,000 MT in 2021–22, when production was the highest since 2004–05. The forecast was reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).  PRODUCTION AREASThe major orange production areas in Australia are in the southern temperate climate …

South African Orange Crop to Increase

Josh McGillInternational, Oranges

South African orange production is forecast to grow 3% in 2022–23, to almost 1.7 million metric tons (MMT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS).  PLANTED AREA AND CULTIVARSOranges represent approximately 47% of South Africa’s 100,000 hectares of citrus orchards. Orange acreage grew by almost 14% over the past seven years. The Limpopo province is …

Two New Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Members

Josh McGillAwards

The late F. Gilbert Bowen of Winter Haven and the late A.G. Smith of Wauchula will join the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame as the Class of 2023 inductees. They will be inducted posthumously in March 2024, along with the Class of 2024 inductees.  BOWENFor more than seven decades, Bowen (1928–2022) was a leader in his family’s operations as well …

The Most Critical Step to a Good Nutrition Program

Josh McGillNutrition, Research

By Tripti Vashisth, Faisal Shahzad and Jamie Burrow Leaf nutrient analysis is an important part of a successful citrus management program. Good fertilization practices are critical for optimal crop production, especially in HLB conditions. The two main objectives of nutrition management in citrus are 1) optimum and consistent yield and 2) building a strong tree that grows and produces year …

Improving Yield Safety of Glyphosate

Josh McGillTip of the Week, weeds

By Ramdas Kanissery Florida citrus growers face weed management problems throughout the year because of conditions that favor rapid weed growth in groves. A weed-free tree row is desired in a citrus grove to minimize weed competition with trees. Hence, chemical weed control using post-emergent, systemic herbicides like glyphosate has become a vital production practice in the Florida citrus industry. …

Forecast for Florida Citrus Production Plummets

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

The first federal citrus crop forecast to take into account damage from September’s Hurricane Ian dropped Florida’s projected orange crop for 2022–23 to 20 million boxes. That’s 29% below the initial forecast of 28 million boxes in October, 51% less than last season’s final production of 41.05 million boxes and the lowest orange forecast in many decades. Florida’s non-Valencia and …

Sneak Peek: December 2022 Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesNutrition, Regulation, Sneak Peek

Need the latest nutrient recommendations for growing citrus in Florida? Find updates for nutrient best management practices in the December issue of Citrus Industry magazine. The article, by Kelly Morgan, Davie Kadyampakeni and Tripti Vashisth, details recently approved recommendations for secondary macronutrients and micronutrients. The new advice is based on University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) …

Consumers Like New Florida’s Natural Blend

Josh McGillOrange Juice

The addition of Mexican juice has not harmed the brand. Positive taste results have been reported for Florida’s Natural orange juice (OJ) since the brand started adding Mexican from-concentrate OJ to its juice. Florida’s Natural Growers (FNG) Chairman Frank M. Hunt III, addressing the cooperative’s annual stakeholders’ meeting recently, said consumers and taste panels have offered the positive input. The …

Pruning Recommendations and Benefits

Josh McGillPruning

By Mongi Zekri Pruning is an important grove practice that increases sunlight penetration within the tree canopy. Sunlight enhances flowering, fruit quality and color development. Sunlight also allows foliage to dry quickly after a rain shower, which reduces problems of fungal diseases. Pruning trees can improve fruit quality and increase fruit size. However, tree response to pruning depends on scion …

CRISPR Research Update for HLB and Canker

Josh McGillBreeding, Florida Citrus Commission, Research

Yianni Lagos, chief executive officer of Soilcea, told the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) in October about his company’s efforts to use CRISPR gene editing to aid the citrus industry in its struggles with canker and HLB. Soilcea was founded to find solutions to these citrus diseases. The company has exclusive licenses to patents from the University of Florida to cure …

Florida Citrus Industry Dodges Bullet With Hurricane Nicole

Josh McGillhurricane

When Hurricane Nicole formed off Florida’s east coast, citrus growers held their collective breath after the beating they took in late September from Hurricane Ian. Nicole made landfall just south of Vero Beach on Nov. 10. Winds near hurricane strength were recorded at multiple weather stations as Nicole came ashore, including 75 miles per hour (mph) in Port St. John and …

Florida’s Natural Announces Grower Returns and Officers

Josh McGillIndustry News Release, Orange Juice

Florida’s Natural Growers’ round orange pool for last season paid an average of $3.50 per pound solid, Chief Financial Officer Matthew Woodall announced at the cooperative’s recent annual stockholders’ meeting. Early and midseason oranges paid a combined $3.42 per pound solid, and Valencia oranges paid a combined $3.55 per pound solid. Tangerines paid an average of $2.60 per pound solid, …

California Oranges Shipped to Korea Require Treatment

Josh McGillCalifornia Corner, Regulation

The California Citrus Quality Council (CCQC) is reminding California orange packinghouses that the first preharvest field application of zinc-copper-lime — or a registered alternative — is required for all orange blocks eligible to ship to Korea this season. These fungicide applications are protective treatments for management of Septoria spot. The treatment should be applied between Oct. 15 and Nov. 30.  Zinc-copper-lime or …

Growers Needed for UF/IFAS Tree Recovery Assessment

Josh McGillhurricane, Tip of the Week

By Christopher Vincent Growers affected by flooding and high winds from Hurricane Ian have seen the immediate effects, but the stress to the trees will have longer lasting effects as well.  It is not known how big these effects will be or how long trees take to recover. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers want …

Oxytetracycline Product Promises Timely Relief From HLB

Josh McGillHLB Management

What may be the closest thing yet to a timely silver bullet for HLB was discussed Oct. 26 at Lake Alfred’s Citrus Research and Education Center. Josh Steinbronn, director of research and development at TJ BioTech, said trunk injection of his company’s ReMedium TI oxytetracycline product suppresses Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the causal agent of HLB. He added that injection …

Evolution of Sting Nematode Integrated Pest Management

Josh McGillPests, Research

By Homan Regmi, Larry Duncan and Johan Desaeger Two field trials were initiated in a Polk County, Florida, commercial grove of 15-month-old Valencia on Kuharske trees in 2019 to measure the effectiveness of integrated pest management (IPM) tactics for managing sting nematodes (Belonolaimus longicaudatus). Six chemical nematicides, many newly released, were compared in one trial. In the second, perennial peanut …

Quality Aspects of Citrus Juices

Josh McGillOrange Juice

By Renée Goodrich and Charles Sims In this era of huanglongbing (HLB), almost every scientific and popular press article alludes to HLB’s impact on fruit and juice quality. The citrus industry uses the term “high-quality” to denote a fruit, product or byproduct that has an array of positive, expected and measurable attributes. Consumers also use terms referring to quality, but …

Gibberellic Acid Continues to Show Benefits

Josh McGillCitrus Expo, Fruit Drop, HLB Management

Researcher Tripti Vashisth has been telling citrus growers about the benefits of using gibberellic acid (GA) on citrus trees. At the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences horticulturist said GA continues to show efficacy, based on 2022 harvest numbers. Vashisth’s Expo presentation included details from a 2016–2022 study of 10-year-old Valencia …

Factors Affecting Nutrient Concentration of Citrus Leaves

Josh McGillNutrition

By Chris Oswalt Growers may have compelling reasons to collect and analyze citrus leaf samples at different times of the year. Current tables allow growers to interpret the results of their citrus leaf analysis based on the collection and analysis of 4- to 6-month-old leaves from non-fruiting twigs (Figure 1). This begs the question of the potential consequences of interpreting …