By Ruth Borger Sending boxes of Florida citrus across the country to friends and family during the holidays is a beloved tradition. But it is important to work with a certified grower/gift shipper as it is illegal in Florida for individuals to send citrus via the mail or delivery services. You can find a list of Florida gift fruit shippers …
Grapefruit and Drugs: A Conversation
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus breeder Fred Gmitter recently had an email conversation with a retired Swedish pediatrician about a UF/IFAS grapefruit and pummelo hybrid that likely won’t interact with drugs. The retired physician, Leif Gothefors, had inquired about Gmitter’s work on the hybrid, UF 914. Gothefors noted that he had heard UF 914 …
UF/IFAS Collaborates on HLB Research
Several University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty are collaborating with other universities and organizations on research, especially for HLB. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), summarizes the work they are doing on a variety of grant-funded projects. Rogers starts with a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded project led by …
Citrus Industry Wants Costa for House Ag Committee Chair
California Citrus Mutual (CCM), Florida Citrus Mutual and Texas Citrus Mutual have voiced their support that California Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) be appointed as the new chair of the House Agriculture Committee. A CCM press release stated that Costa understands the industry’s issues, such as pest and disease, trade, water and immigration. Notably, Costa was instrumental in securing federal funding …
Sneak Peek: December 2020 Citrus Industry
The ability to adapt is essential in growing citrus. John Gose, the cover story subject in the December issue of Citrus Industry magazine, knows this to be true. With nearly 40 years of citrus-growing experience at Lykes Bros., Gose has had to adapt to many changes during his career. Learn how he is adapting to citrus greening and the contributions …
Things to Be Thankful for This Year
By Ruth Borger Despite 2020 being a challenging year with a lot to complain about, there are many things to be thankful for. This is the time of year to take a few minutes to reflect on what we have to be grateful for. Here are just a few things to be thankful for that come quickly to mind. A …
Research Update on Individual Protective Covers
By Fernando Alferez, Susmita Gaire, Ute Albrecht, Ozgur Batuman, Jawwad Qureshi and Mongi Zekri It has been nearly three years since the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) started its studies on individual protective covers (IPCs). The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of IPCs as a strategy to prevent HLB infection of …
Pruning Principles for High-Quality Citrus
Planting citrus varieties for fresh market production has increased in popularity. With these potentially high-value crops come concerns about management practices, including pruning. Recently, Fernando Alferez informed growers in a virtual presentation about manual pruning principles. Alferez is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences citrus horticulturist at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. According to …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Thanksgiving Joys
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I just found several old Thanksgiving postcards with citrus themes that are quite beautiful. They are from an era when postage was a penny, and people sent postcards to friends and family on holidays. With everything going on in our world today, the postcards reminded me of the importance in reflecting on what’s good in our …
Cold Acclimation and Freeze Protection for Florida Citrus
By Chris Oswalt and Davie Kadyampakeni In preparation for winter in Florida, citrus growers must first understand some essential concepts related to protecting citrus from freezing temperatures. Specifically, growers need to know when and how to protect citrus trees from freeze damage. WHEN TO PROTECT When (i.e., at what critical temperature) will damage begin to occur? This temperature is dependent on …
Spotting the Symptoms of Citrus Black Spot
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension recently provided the following information about identification of citrus black spot (CBS): Fruit symptoms can be observed around this time of year with the onset of color break and fruit maturity. Growers and agricultural workers should learn to identify the symptoms of CBS even if they are not located …
Adjuvants Did Not Improve Delivery of Foliar-Applied Oxytetracycline
In 2016, federal authorities began allowing Florida citrus growers to spray oxytetracycline solutions on their trees to combat citrus greening disease. Since then, researchers have been investigating oxytetracycline delivery methods. In a Citrus Expo presentation, Christopher Vincent, assistant professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, shared …
Harnessing the Power of Soil Microbes
Although often ignored due to their intangible nature, microorganisms play significant roles in agriculture. The natural microbial processes allow for long-lasting interactions between nutrients, plants and soils. Masanori Fujimoto, assistant professor at the University of Florida, is leading a research and education project titled “Harnessing Microbes for Sustainable Food Production.” The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s …
Controls for Sting Nematodes
Larry Duncan provides updates on the damage done by sting nematodes and research into controlling them with nematicides and perennial peanut as a cover crop. Duncan is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) nematologist at the Citrus Research and Education Center. Sting nematodes have become a “real issue” for Florida growers in the past five …
Bournique Reappointed to Water Board
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has reappointed Indian River Citrus League (IRCL) Executive Vice President Doug Bournique to a fourth, four-year term on the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Governing Board. Bournique was first appointed to the SJRWMD board in 2008 by then-Gov. Charlie Crist. He was re-appointed by Gov. Rick Scott. Throughout his service on the board, Bournique …
Get Florida Freeze Updates With Winter Weather Watch
By Chris Oswalt There was a time back in 1962, on Dec. 12 and 13, when a devastating freeze in Florida decimated a significant portion of the state’s citrus industry. In Polk County, the freeze caused serious damage to 134,000 acres of citrus. In 1963, citrus growers were concerned about receiving timely weather information and frost warning bulletins. Back then, …
Controlling Psyllids: A Threshold Approach
Citrus growers should consider controlling HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) only when a prescribed ACP population, or threshold, is reached. Entomologist Lukasz Stelinski suggested this approach in a virtual Citrus Expo presentation. Stelinski is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. A summary slide Stelinski showed …
Global Congress Aims to Increase Citrus Consumption
Citrus suppliers have a unique opportunity to build on the sales momentum generated by the coronavirus pandemic. They should develop joint strategies to increase global consumption based on established health claims, as the avocado sector has done to such powerful effect. That was the take-home message from the inaugural Global Citrus Congress Live on Nov. 5. The virtual event drew …
Genome Sequencing and Other UF Research
Michael Rogers discusses the importance of the recent sequencing of the trifoliate orange genome by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers and others. He also tells how growers can learn more about UF/IFAS research funded by the Florida Legislature. Rogers is director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred and …
Sudden ACP Increase in California Worrisome
To the surprise and consternation of growers and officials, 74 Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) have been discovered in Kern County, California, since June. Local and state officials are concerned about the recent uptick in trappings and are working to find how extensively the infestation has spread. The trappings have been equally dispersed in residential and commercial citrus. Staff from the …