Many in the Florida citrus industry have long believed that development of trees that are resistant to or tolerant of HLB is the key to coping with the devastating disease. In Florida, most of the work on developing such trees is conducted by researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the U.S. Department …
CRAFT Leadership to Change
There will soon be leadership changes at the Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRAFT) Foundation. Tamara Wood will succeed Kristen Carlson as executive director and program manager; she was previously assistant program manager. Tom Mitchell will succeed Glenn Beck as president. Wood will manage day-to-day operations. There are no plans to hire a new assistant program manager, but the board …
Brutal Honesty on HLB
Rick Dantzler did not follow normal protocol in providing an update about his organization’s efforts. Dantzler, chief operating officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), didn’t talk glowingly about CRDF’s accomplishments. Rather, he started off by telling how far the Florida citrus industry has declined since CRDF was formed in 2009 primarily to find a solution to HLB. …
Florida Citrus Funding of $32.6 Million
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 2 approved all $32.6 million worth of citrus-related funding in the state budget, Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) Executive Vice President/CEO Mike Sparks reported. The budget had been set earlier by the state Legislature. Sparks detailed the citrus appropriations: Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), $3 million Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program, $5 …
Trials to Seek Hamlin Alternative
Twenty-four citrus scions were approved by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) on March 23 for eventual use in multiple field trials around Florida. The purpose of the trials will be to find an early-season orange that is more tolerant of HLB disease than Hamlin, said CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler. Hamlin has long been the primary early-season …
Florida Growers Wanted for Rootstock Trials
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) is establishing a new project to evaluate the most promising citrus rootstocks in grower field trials. The rootstock trials are projected to be planted in the spring or summer of 2022. The goal will be to identify plant material with the traits needed for growers to realize the highest possible pound solids per …
HLB Spending Summarized
Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler on Feb. 23 detailed CRDF spending on efforts to solve HLB. According to Dantzler, the Florida-based organization spent $140.7 million between its formation in 2009 and 2020. The vast majority of CRDF’s focus has been on HLB. Dantzler’s report came moments after University of Florida (UF) Institute of Food …
Peptide, CRAFT Research Funded
A company that recently obtained a patent for a natural peptide solution to treat HLB has received Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) funding to see if the product has efficacy for other citrus diseases. CRDF will fund the company, Elemental Enzymes, for about $61,200, said CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler. Elemental Enzymes proposes to do research “to see …
Parson Brown Research Funded
Researchers looking into the possibility that the old Parson Brown orange might fare better than Hamlins in the face of HLB will be funded by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF). CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler said the organization agreed to fund the project for $53,000 during its December meeting. The funding had been under consideration for several …
Texas Research Should Help With HLB
Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have made a discovery that should help combat fastidious or “unculturable” pathogens, such as Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the HLB causal agent. HLB is also known as citrus greening disease. Kranthi Mandadi, a researcher with Texas A&M, and his colleagues have been working several years on developing new technologies to fight the fastidious pathogens. Mandadi and …
Delivering Peptides to Fight HLB
Encouraging news stories have appeared in recent months on the possible benefits of using peptides in the fight against HLB. Peptides, small groups of linked amino acids, have many functions, including acting on pathogens. As researchers continue to investigate the role of peptides in the fight against HLB, they are also looking for the most effective delivery method of these …
Field-Tested Peptide Treats Citrus Greening
Elemental Enzymes, a St. Louis biotechnology firm, has obtained a patent for a natural peptide solution to treat citrus greening disease. The peptide solution, Vismax, is readying for commercialization and is expected to reach the market by 2022. Vismax has been developed and extensively field tested, says Brian Thompson, CEO of Elemental Enzymes. Thompson gave a presentation on Nov. 18 …
Joint Culturing Project for HLB?
Four researchers from around the country summarized their work on culturing the causal agent of HLB and agreed to consider a large, joint culturing project. The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) hosted the panel discussion on Nov. 5 about culturing Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). CRDF organized the presentation after receiving a request for funding of a CLas culturing project …
Bayer HLB Project Extended
A large multi-year Bayer Crop Science project aimed at finding solutions for HLB will be extended by a grant from a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The two-year grant for just over $10 million came from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The grant is to the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) and its …
Is Parson Brown the Better Early Orange?
The old Parson Brown sweet orange variety is showing some characteristics that could make it more attractive than Hamlin, which has long been Florida’s leading early-season orange. “Observations made in commercial blocks in Polk and neighboring counties illustrate an improved canopy density, improved mature fruit retention and higher yields in the early-maturing Parson Brown sweet orange when compared to adjacent …
Certis USA Continues Citrus Research Support
For the fourth consecutive year, Certis USA has donated $20,000 to the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) to help fund the non-profit’s research aimed at finding a cure for huanglongbing (HLB; citrus greening). The company’s successful “Certis for Citrus” program utilizes sales from their top citrus products to annually support CRDF’s mission. The donation came during CRDF’s board meeting …
CRAFT Growers Planting 2,032 Florida Citrus Acres
Florida growers have signed up for 46 HLB research projects representing 2,032 acres through the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation, Executive Director Kristen Carlson reported recently. Solid-set projects account for 1,641 acres; resets for 391 acres. “Some growers have more than one project,” Carlson said. The CRAFT Foundation was organized last year to administer a program aimed at …
Nutrition and Rootstocks to Be Studied
Seventeen researchers have responded to the Citrus Research and Development Foundation’s (CRDF) request for very specific citrus nutrition research, the organization’s board of directors learned May 19. CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler said several advisory groups will review the proposals prior to the CRDF board choosing and funding selected proposals no later than September. The research requested by CRDF …
What Should I Plant?
Rick Dantzler has determined in conversations over the last few months “that the primary question on growers’ minds is, ‘What should I plant?’ And that really frames the discussion we [the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) governing board] had regarding our plant improvement efforts going forward.” Dantzler is CRDF chief operating officer, and he was referring to discussions at …
Citrus Research and Development Foundation Updates
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) agreed March 24 to seek very focused research projects that will answer growers’ questions about proper nutrition in the face of HLB. The questions were formulated by CRDF’s Nutrition Working Group, a panel of growers, scientists and others. FOCUS ON NUTRITION “We know it’s (nutrition) important and we have to get it right …