Citrus growers depend on the latest information about best irrigation and nutrition strategies for growing productive trees. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers will share recent results regarding optimal crop management at a workshop and field visit opportunity on Feb. 8 at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Davie Kadyampakeni, assistant …
Increasing Pesticide Effectiveness With Adjuvants
By Ajia Paolillo Editor’s note: THIS ARTICLE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR CEU CREDIT. Pesticides are widely used in commercial agriculture to manage insects and other arthropods, diseases and weeds. Each application needs to be as effective as possible in managing the target pest. Many factors, such as environmental conditions, tank-mix incompatibility and solution pH, can cause a pesticide application …
Florida Citrus Show Takes Aim at HLB
Growers gathered in Fort Pierce last week for the Florida Citrus Show. More than 30 presentations and panel discussions were held during the two-day event. Topics covered included production, technology and markets. With the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicting the smallest citrus crop in more than 70 years, urgency to seek solutions to HLB was high on the agenda. …
Meister Media Worldwide Sells Florida Grower Magazine to AgNet Media
Meister Media Worldwide and AgNet Media today announced the sale of Florida Grower magazine and its Florida-related assets to AgNet Media, effective March 1, 2022. Through Florida Grower, Meister Media has invested more than 25 years of commitment to Florida’s citrus, vegetable and other specialty crop producers. Initiatives like the Florida GrowerSM Citrus Show, the Florida GrowerSM Citrus Achievement Award …
Give Trees a Good Start
Megan Dewdney told citrus growers how to give young trees a good start in the face of HLB. Her Jan. 19 presentation was held at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, where she is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist. Trees need a robust, established structural root system before they are …
Florida Citrus Nutrition Recommendations to Be Updated
The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference held in Savannah in early January included a session on citrus production to educate growers. Kelly Morgan, professor of soil fertility and water management with the University of Florida, spoke to attendees about newly updated production guides and their relationship to plant nutrition and HLB. Morgan noted that the third edition of the …
Smart Technology Cuts Spray Costs
As they battle HLB, growers must control costs wherever possible, including by applying pesticides and fertilizer more efficiently. With that in mind, Yiannis Ampatzidis is engaging artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a low-cost, smart tree-crop sprayer that can automatically detect citrus trees, calculate their height and leaf density, and count fruit. That way, growers target their spray more efficiently, so …
Egypt to Remain Top Orange Exporter
Egypt is expected to maintain its position as the world’s leading fresh orange exporter in 2021–22 despite production challenges, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported. The country is expected to export 1.45 million metric tons (MMT), down from 1.67 MMT in 2020–21. The decrease in exports is attributed to lower production amid unfavorable climate conditions. Russia, …
Freeze Damage: Preparation and Recovery
By Amir Rezazadeh Low temperatures can cause serious injury to leaf, wood and fruits of citrus trees. An extended freeze can kill a citrus tree. A rapid temperature decrease or a longer duration of freezing temperature can worsen the damage. Because preparation is paramount in protecting citrus trees, growers should use the Florida Automated Weather Network. The network provides information …
Orange Quality and Quantity in Turkey
The fresh orange yield in Turkey for 2021-22 is forecast to increase 40% to 1.82 million metric tons (MMT) due to favorable rainy weather conditions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported. However, in recent months, producers have become concerned about drought conditions affecting the quality of the fruit. In 2020-21, Turkey produced 1.3 MMT of oranges. …
Pest Management: A New Approach to an Age-Old Challenge
By Brad Turner From a family with deep Florida roots, I have over 40 years of experience in commercial citrus production. I learned the industry from the ground up by working in the family groves while studying citrus production at Florida Southern College. I have owned a citrus nursery, my own groves and a citrus caretaking business. I have also …
Shining the Light on Tree Health
At a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension citrus field day held earlier this month, plant pathologist Amit Levy talked with growers about ways to evaluate tree health. “A good evaluation should be correlated to the yield that the trees will produce,” explained Levy. “The evaluation should be concentrated on the tree health, and not on …
Nutrition Findings for Florida Citrus
Florida’s Citrus Nutrition Box Program that began in the fall of 2019 has shown that regional differences occur around the state with secondary macronutrients and micronutrients. It also showed that manganese and zinc are a concern for almost all areas. Jamie Burrow presented those findings, and numerous others, as part of Citrus Nutrition Day in October at the University of …
Port Problems Plague Producers
The ongoing supply-chain crisis is a big headache to businesses and consumers alike, with no end in sight for the immediate future. Perishable products are particularly at risk, as even a week or two delay can affect product quality. The port delays that caused the supply-chain crisis began on the West Coast with labor shortages due to the pandemic. These …
Douglas Plant Health Is Now DPH Biologicals™
Douglas Plant Health announced it has changed its name to DPH Biologicals. The new name recognizes the century-long commitment of its parent company, Douglas Products, to deliver effective and high-quality products to its customers while more clearly focusing on expanding its biologicals product platform to deliver value to customers by sustainably increasing productivity, yield and profitability. In 2018, the assets …
Texas Freeze Update: Fruit Is Sparse
Surviving citrus trees in South Texas have bounced back from extreme freeze during Winter Storm Uri in February, but fruit is sparse this season, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension horticulturist Juan Anciso. An AgriLife Extension study estimated the severe freeze caused $230 million in damage to Texas’ citrus industry. Around 80% of the orange crop and almost 70% of …
HLB Changed UF/IFAS Recommendations
Kelly Morgan recently summarized several recommended changes in Florida citrus production practices brought on by the devastating disease HLB. Morgan is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) soil and water science professor. He discussed what growers need to know to follow best management practices (BMPs) at the recent Citrus Nutrition Day at the UF/IFAS Citrus …
Keep Food Local & Affordable Act Introduced
U.S. Representative Greg Steube of Florida recently introduced the Keep Food Local & Affordable Act to combat the recent rise in food prices due to historic labor shortages and inflation. This legislation would implement a temporary stay on the H-2A adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) for states struggling to find domestic workers. The H-2A program allows temporary foreign workers in …
Fertilization Splitting Helps With HLB
Researchers at the University of Florida have found a way to manage groves infected with HLB by managing the timing of their fertilization. By splitting the application of nutrients to citrus rootstocks, they have been able to improve plant growth and fruit yields. The research was recently published in Soil Science Society of America Journal. Alisheikh Atta and his colleagues …
Top Grower Concerns: Input Costs and Availability
Trade and labor used to top the concern list for Florida’s specialty crop growers. Not anymore. The biggest concerns now are input prices and availability, says Mike Joyner, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) president. Joyner reports that in talking to growers in the field, he has heard of fertilizer costs doubling – if growers can even get it. “The …