By Jawwad Qureshi Management of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Figure 1) is critical because it is responsible for spreading huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Although HLB is established in Florida, it continues to spread through ACP feeding in already infected trees and by infecting newly planted young trees. Some ACP control occurs naturally in the environment by beneficial organisms such as …
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 …
Fruit Quality Evaluations for Georgia Citrus Varieties
Characteristics of 30 varieties and 45 variety/rootstock combinations were reported in Evaluating Fruit Quality of Citrus Varieties in Georgia, 2021-22. Jacob Price, county Extension coordinator for Lowndes County and Extension citrus specialist with University of Georgia (UGA) Extension, authored the report. Price noted that most groves in Georgia were planted after 2014. Initially, satsuma mandarins (Citrus unshiu) on trifoliate rootstocks …
South Africa Lemon/Lime Production to Shrink
Fresh lemon/lime production in South Africa is forecast to shrink by 13% to 653,000 metric tons (MT) in 2022–23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported recently. In the prior season, the country produced a record 748,000 MT. The yield reduction this year is due to hailstorm damage in the Eastern Cape in November 2022. PLANTINGS …
Accelerating Citrus Breeding Efforts
By John M. Chater Professors Jude Grosser and Fred Gmitter have been breeding improved citrus varieties at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) for decades. Over time, they have released several of their advanced selections. Many of these selections are sweet oranges. There is a subset of these creations …
Members Appointed to Georgia Citrus Commission
Georgia’s newly established Agricultural Commodity Commission for Citrus Fruits, known as the Georgia Citrus Commission, has its five members that are tasked with steering the course of the state’s citrus industry. The Commodity Commission Ex Officio Committee appointed the following members to the Georgia Citrus Commission: Each commission member has a minimum of 5 acres of citrus trees. Members will …
Georgia Citrus Growers Get Valuable Resources
Since Georgia’s citrus industry is still in its infancy, leaders are determined to educate growers about the resources that are available to them. With help from Lindy Savelle, president of the Georgia Citrus Association, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently hosted an event to share many of those resources with growers. The meet-and-greet workshop took place July 12 at …
Grapefruit Rootstock/Scion Research Update
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers Mark Ritenour and Flavia Zambon recently provided an update on a large field trial. The project is called Evaluation of Potential HLB Tolerant Grapefruit Rootstock/Scion Combinations in the Indian River District of Florida. A summary of their update follows: The project started as a collaborative effort between the UF/IFAS …
CRAFT Reopens Existing Tree Therapies Program
The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation has reopened the application window for its Existing Tree Therapies Program. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Aug. 31. Participants will be selected through a random lottery, administered by a third-party entity. The program is designed to provide the industry with a better understanding of the best use patterns, combinations …
Citrus Breeding Efforts to Solve the Brix Crisis
By Jude Grosser, Maria Brenelli, Ling Liu, Yu Wang and Fred Gmitter The combination of HLB and hurricane Ian have made this a disastrous year for Florida citrus, drastically reducing the quantity and quality of processing oranges. Brix values are the lowest in history. Early-season Hamlin juice with inferior quality is generally blended with late-season Valencia to achieve the target …
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 …
Hurricane Preparedness for Citrus Groves: Part 1
By Mongi Zekri, Robert E. Rouse and Jonathan H. Crane Growers look forward to the rainy season because it helps their young trees grow fast and their mature trees produce good crops. However, along with the anticipation of the rainy season, there is also the reality that tropical storms or hurricanes may bring too much rain and wind, causing devastations …
HLB Lessons Learned From Nepal
Citrus is grown in many different regions across the globe. Some of those places look very different than the Florida landscape. But that doesn’t mean growers in different regions can’t benefit from learning about how others grow their fruit. That was the message from Christoper Vincent, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor of environmental …
USDA Citrus Breeding Program Focused on Rootstock and Variety Solutions
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, has been home to a citrus rootstock and variety breeding program for many years. Kim Bowman, a research geneticist, has been with the program for more than 30 years. More recently, Matthew Mattia, a geneticist, joined the breeding team. They provide an update on the program …
European Union Citrus Report on Production, War Impact
A new report on European Union (EU) citrus by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) includes a broad overview of the continent’s industry. Production expectations, the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, acreage and trade are addressed in the report. PRODUCTION REDUCTIONTotal European Union (EU) citrus production in 2022–23 is projected to total 10.4 million metric …
CRAFT Update Provided at Citrus Industry Conference
During the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference earlier this month, Tamara Wood, executive director of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation, gave an update on a new phase of the CRAFT program. Started in 2019, CRAFT was initially focused on new plantings. The program helps growers cover the cost of new plantings if they agree to an experimental …
All In For Citrus Podcast, June 2023
Speaking at the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in June, Scott Angle, leader of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), reaffirmed the urgency the institution has placed on finding viable solutions to HLB. This includes presenting the citrus industry with a road-map document to lay out UF/IFAS HLB research priorities and objectives. One of the approaches …
No Perfect Tree Spacing for Multiple Objectives
Looking for the perfect tree planting density to meet all of your objectives for citrus fruit quality and yield? That may not be possible, University of California Cooperative Extension’s Craig Kallsen said in a recent talk about planting density’s impact on navel orange yield and quality. The citrus and pistachio farm advisor for Kern County gave the example of a …
Using Cover Crops to Improve Soil Health
By Sarah Strauss, Emma Dawson and Elena Karlsen-Ayala The term “soil health” has become increasingly popular in the last several years. While there are many definitions of soil health, one of the more commonly cited ones is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It defines soil health as “…the continued capacity of a soil …
Grower Achieves High Brix and Stops Drop
Low Brix has been a major problem plaguing the Florida citrus industry in recent years. While many growers are struggling to achieve the minimum required Brix level, this has not been an issue for citrus grower Chip Henry. He recently shared how he believes his organic production techniques contribute to high Brix as well as stopping premature fruit drop in …