The California State Assembly approved a bill that will allow the citrus industry to increase fees to provide funds for activities to protect residential and commercial citrus trees from the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and the deadly huanglongbing (HLB) plant disease it can carry. SB 243 by Senator Galgiani (Stockton) allows for an additional $9.6 million in grower assessments to …
New Case of HLB Found in Southern California
Huanglongbing (HLB) was confirmed in a single citrus tree in the city of La Habra in Orange County, California, on April 11, 2017. This new find will result in a new HLB quarantine area, which will link the existing quarantines into a contiguous zone spanning portions of Los Angeles and Orange counties. Additionally, two samples of Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) …
California Tarping Regulations Delayed
A new tarping regulation for citrus loads was put on hold by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Ag leaders say the industry should still make plans to comply, since the rules will soon be enforced. An enforcement date has not been announced, but could come as soon as April 1. The new regulation, which was supposed to …
Orange Forecast Drops for Florida and California
The citrus crop forecast, delivered by Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service in Washington, D.C., showed a 4 percent drop in Florida oranges and a 2 percent drop in California oranges. In total, the U.S. all-orange forecast for the 2016-2017 season dropped 3 percent from last month and is down 13 percent from …
Citrus Pest Concerns California Industry
California recently passed a state law designed to combat the spread of an Asian citrus pest. All citrus loads transported through California now must be covered, no matter where it’s coming from or where it’s headed. Sponsored ContentTake the Sting Out of Fire AntsMarch 6, 2026Grower Results With ReMedium TI® Mirror Researcher ResultsJanuary 21, 2026Take Advantage of Rising Temperatures to …
California Citrus Challenges: Water Tops HLB
Asian citrus psyllids are detected sporadically in the San Joaquin Valley — home to most California oranges and mandarins — and are endemic in Southern California lemon country. But as far as anyone knows, the pests that spread HLB in Florida and Texas have not spread the disease into California’s commercial citrus groves. California HLB detections have been limited to 17 …
CRDF Board Funds More Research Projects
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board of directors held a lengthy discussion about the upcoming merger with the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation during its March meeting. Then the board considered research projects and funded four of them. A project by Hailing Jin of the University of California Riverside will test trees in Florida which contain …
Sweet Orange Scab and HLB Quarantines Updated
Agriculture officials announced the expansion of the sweet orange scab (SOS) quarantine and establishment of a new HLB quarantine area, both in California. SWEET ORANGE SCAB On March 11, the quarantine area for SOS in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles County was expanded by 80 square miles. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service …
Global Grapefruit and Lemon/Lime Projections
A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) report — Citrus: World Markets and Trade — included global fresh grapefruit and fresh lemon/lime projections for 2025–26. GRAPEFRUIT UP Global fresh grapefruit production is forecast up 2% to 7 million tons on larger crops in China, the United States and the European Union (EU). China production is forecast …
Global Tangerine/Mandarin Projections
A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) report — Citrus: World Markets and Trade — included global tangerine/mandarin projections for 2025–26. Global fresh tangerine/mandarin production is forecast up less than 1% to 38.4 million tons. Larger crops in China, Turkey, Morocco, South Africa and Japan more than offset smaller European Union (EU) and U.S. harvests. Processing …
Georgia Needs Management Plan for Citrus Greening
Citrus greening disease has yet to find its footing in Georgia’s commercial citrus. But if it does, Georgia’s growers need a plan in place to manage the disease. Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association (GCA), emphasized that message during last week’s GCA annual meeting in Tifton. “There is a very small amount of the disease in commercial …
South Korean Citrus Production and Trade Forecast
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently forecast South Korean citrus production and trade for 2025–26. Tangerines and mandarins are the country’s dominant citrus varieties. TANGERINES/MANDARINS Korea’s tangerine/mandarin production is projected to increase 5.4% to approximately 570,000 metric tons (MT), thanks to favorable yield offsetting acreage loss.The tangerine/mandarin cultivation area in South Korea is projected to …
World Orange and Orange Juice Projections
A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) report — Citrus: World Markets and Trade — included global fresh orange and orange juice projections for 2025–26. FRESH ORANGE Global fresh orange production is projected up slightly to 45.9 million tons on larger crops in Brazil and Egypt, more than offsetting decreased production in Turkey, the European Union and …
Influence of Rootstock on Growth, Productivity and Fruit Quality of Eureka Lemon
By Kim D. Bowman, Matt Mattia, Ranjeet Shinde and Flavia Zambon Profitability of the historic kings of citrus in Florida, sweet orange juice and fresh market grapefruit, has been severely reduced by the impact of huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Previous studies have demonstrated that lemon cultivars are generally more tolerant to HLB than sweet orange and grapefruit. Lemon trees continue cropping …
H-2A Program Use Soars
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) recently reported key facts about use of the H-2A program. The vast majority of Florida citrus is harvested by temporary foreign workers through the H-2A program. The program continues to grow with 398,258 positions certified in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Nearly 50% of the certifications in FY 2025 work in just five states: Florida, …
Another Mexfly Quarantine Established in Texas
Federal and state agriculture officials on Jan. 26 established a Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Granjeno, Hidalgo County, Texas, designated the Granjeno quarantine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) took the action. APHIS and TDA established the Granjeno quarantine in response to the detection on Jan. …
Tango Mandarin’s Plant Patent Expires
The University of California, Riverside (UCR), which developed the Tango mandarin in 2006, recently reflected on the variety’s success and noted that its patent has expired. Tango has generated more than $70 million in cumulative economic value for UCR. The virtually seedless, easy-peeling fruit has been marketed under brand names like Cuties and Halos. Now that Tango’s plant patent has …
Ag Groups Plead for Economic Support for Farmers
American farmers “are facing extreme economic pressures that threaten the long-term viability of the U.S. agriculture sector,” 56 agriculture organizations told congressional leaders in a Jan. 15 letter. California Citrus Mutual, Florida Citrus Mutual and Texas Citrus Mutual were among the letter’s signers. The letter went to the U.S. Senate majority and minority leaders and the House of Representatives speaker …
First U.S. Citrus Crop Forecast Issued for 2025–26
The first federal forecast of the 2025–26 citrus season, issued Jan. 12, calls for continued decreased production of Florida oranges and grapefruit. The Florida lemon forecast increased and exceeds the state’s tangerine/mandarin forecast, which is flat. Other citrus-producing states are also included in the forecast, which was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). FLORIDA …
Study Shows Performance of New Rootstocks
A recent article provides estimates for the performance of Valencia orange grafted on new hybrid citrus rootstock cultivars developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). These estimates can help growers decide which rootstocks to plant in HLB-endemic regions. Authors of the article are Ariel Singerman of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), …





























