By Mongi Zekri, Davie Kadyampakeni, Tripti Vashisth, Kelly Morgan, Tom Obreza and Brian Boman Microirrigation is an important component of citrus production systems in Florida. For citrus trees, microirrigation is more desirable than other irrigation methods for several reasons: water conservation, fertilizer management efficiency and freeze protection. Research has shown that when properly managed, water savings with microirrigation systems can …
Putting Florida Citrus in the Public Spotlight
The Edison & Ford Winter Estates Citrus Project will promote the value of the Florida citrus industry. By Jim Gravley The citrus industry has endured many setbacks this year and needs an across-the-board evaluation. As a grower first, I devote my extra time to helping assist the industry with current issues affecting production, research and the marketing of our product. …
Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award Winners Include Citrus Growers
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced the recipients of the Commissioner’s Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award, which recognizes the environmentally innovative farming techniques of Florida’s farmers and ranchers. This year’s recipients are: Jim Strickland of Blackbeards’ Ranch in Manatee County, Chuck Allison of Wild Goose Farms in Umatilla and James Shinn of Shinn Groves/ Tree O’Groves in Lake Alfred. Florida’s …
Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Consortium Get Grant for HLB Research
A Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist at Weslaco will lead a consortium of researchers in major citrus-producing regions to conduct high-throughput screening in discovering antimicrobials that could prevent citrus greening. Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB) disease, has devastated citrus fruit crops in Florida and has made its way to Texas and California. The research grant of approximately $1.2 …
Tree Spacing and Technology for HLB
Jim Snively, vice president of grove operations for Southern Gardens Citrus, discusses planting density and technology that may hold promise for coping with HLB. Tree density trials were planted in 2012 at Southern Gardens. After six years, the best results have come from trees planted at about 363 trees per acre, Snively reports. “Everything we’re doing today, we try to …
Citrus Renovation Irrigation Support Program Introduced
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Water Policy has a new citrus cost-share program to assist with irrigation improvements on groves that are being replanted. FDACS announced it has set aside roughly $3 million for the Citrus Renovation Irrigation Support Program (CRISP). The program is designed to be a 75 percent cost share for the …
The Road to Recovery
Growers discuss lessons learned from Hurricane Irma, replanting plans, grove rehabilitation, crop insurance and more. By Tacy Callies Florida citrus growers awaiting Hurricane Irma federal aid and insurance payouts are doing their best to keep crops healthy until more money is available. Paul Meador, citrus grower and head of Everglades Harvesting & Hauling in LaBelle, took a big hit from …
A Look Back at 100 Years of Citrus Innovation
By Beverly James, Alec Richman, Brad Buck, Samantha Grenrock and Tom Nordlie The year was 1917. In April, the United States entered World War I. Florida’s population was fast approaching 1 million, and agriculture was the state’s most important economic driver. Citrus cultivation, introduced to Florida 400 years earlier by Spanish explorers, had spawned an industry following the Civil War. …
Why Bicarbonates Matter for HLB Management
By Jim Graham and Kelly Morgan Huanglongbing (HLB), greening and yellow shoot are names for the most devastating citrus disease in the world. Symptoms of HLB include a distinctive chlorotic mottle on fully expanded leaves. Infected shoots are stunted, and branches gradually die back as the symptoms appear in other sectors of the tree canopy. HLB reduces fruit size, weight …
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 …
Citrus Nursery Tour Showcases New Technology
Citrific Nursery president Mathew Konrad recently gave a citrus nursery tour to show a culture process and automated nursery system that could be beneficial to the citrus industry. “I got into this industry because I felt like the industry was lacking a lot of common technologies and more sophisticated nursery operations,” said Konrad. He explained that he wanted to make …
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 …
Managing the Health and Productivity of HLB-Affected Groves
By Tripti Vashisth In 2005, huanglongbing (HLB or citrus greening disease) was first discovered in Florida. Florida orange production changed from 242 million boxes in the pre-hurricane, pre-HLB, 2003–2004 season to 81.5 million boxes in 2015–2016. This dramatic reduction in yield is attributable to multiple causes, including a reduction in citrus acreage, citrus canker and other citrus diseases. HLB is …
Injecting Citrus Tree Trunks with Bactericide May Help Stem Greening
By: Brad Buck GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A chemical treatment known as a bactericide could help preserve citrus trees from the potentially deadly and costly greening disease, a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) study shows. Citrus is estimated as a $10.9 billion-a-year industry in Florida and the finding could be key to helping the state’s …