By Kevin M. Folta A number of websites recently made claims about detection of the herbicide glyphosate in orange juice from several leading brands1-3. It is important to understand the claims, who is making them, and how to communicate the actual risk, which the science says approaches zero. WHAT IS THE CLAIM? Moms Across America (MAM) claims that it has …
Citrus Production in Argentina
By Stephen H. Futch and Ariel Singerman In May of 2017, we visited the northwestern citrus production region of Argentina in the provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Tucumán. The purpose of the trip was to learn more about Argentina’s citrus industry and programs being developed to deal with both the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and huanglongbing (HLB). Argentina has a …
Preparing for and Recovering from a Hurricane
By Mongi Zekri, Bob Rouse and Jonathan Crane Hurricane preparation for citrus growers this year is the same drill as every year. Each year, growers look forward to the rainy season to help their young trees grow fast and their mature trees produce good crops. This year, growers will be praying for good distribution of rains following a year of …
Controlled-Release Fertilizer Boosts Health of HLB Trees (Part 2)
By Pete Spyke, Joby Sherrod and Jude Grosser Part 1 of this article, published in the April 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine, provided some background information on controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) along with a discussion of practical applications in citrus production. This article, part 2, includes summaries of observations from several case studies in which CRF has been applied for …
Ground Cover Management Can Improve Citrus Nutrition
By Christopher Vincent I recently spent a morning with a grower who was trying to find out how efficient his citrus fertility program was. His fertilizer practices were carefully considered combinations of granular fertilizer and fertigation based on foliar sampling and yield history. We were there to observe some European consultants who were measuring mineral nutrient levels in the root …
Freeze Damage Symptoms and Recovery for Citrus
By Mongi Zekri, Chris Oswalt, Steve Futch and Laurie Hurner The extent of cold injury to citrus depends on a number of factors, and its expression may occur over an extended period of time. Factors responsible for freeze damage include minimum temperature, duration of freezing temperatures and stage of tree acclimation. Susceptibility of trees to freezing temperatures can also be …
From Planning to Planting: Establishing New Groves in the Presence of HLB
By Ute Albrecht Despite the constant threat of huanglongbing (HLB), most growers remain optimistic and are replanting citrus trees to maintain production levels necessary for sustaining the industry. The tax incentive bill under the Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act introduced in December 2015, if implemented, will help growers get back expenses associated with replanting of diseased trees immediately, instead of …
Hurricane Preparedness
By Bob Rouse and Mongi Zekri Little can be done to protect trees and fruit from hurricane velocity wind, but we can take steps to protect the people, equipment and supplies that will be needed for the recovery. Below is a checklist for citrus grove managers. Pre-Hurricane Preparation Checklist Personnel assignments: 1. Make a list of all tasks and make …
Citrus Production Increases with Reduced Inputs
Yes, you read that headline correctly! The Mid-Florida Citrus Foundation Grove near Winter Garden in the past year or so managed to almost double its citrus production while cutting production costs almost in half. Mickey Page, the grove’s research coordinator and farm manager, tells why the inputs had to be reduced and how he altered the production program. “If you …
Discussing Genetic Engineering With a Concerned Public
By: Kevin Folta Our farm producers have brought unprecedented low-priced, safe food to the United States and the world. Despite the success, there are challenges to sustained production that may best be solved with genetic engineering. These technologies have proven safe and effective for almost two decades, mostly in the arena of high-acreage agronomic crops like corn, soy and cotton. …
What to Consider When Putting a New Grove in Place
By: Mongi Zekri There is a high degree of planning and preparation that goes into making a new citrus tree planting successful. Site preparation, installation of an irrigation system, selection of varieties and rootstocks, tree spacing, purchasing trees from reputable nurseries, and tree planting and care are all important. Site Preparation The planting site should be well prepared. Soils at …