Many Florida citrus growers have been using individual protective covers (IPCs) for several years primarily to protect trees from HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids (ACP). Smaller but increasing numbers of growers are utilizing the more expensive citrus under protective screen (CUPS) system to protect trees from ACP and HLB. Recently, Fernando Alferez informed growers in a virtual presentation about some other …
FFVA Selects Emerging Leader Class
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) recently announced the selection of 13 agriculture industry leaders for Class 10 of its Emerging Leader Development Program for the coming year. Class 10 members are: Sherri Atwell of Feeding Florida, Tallahassee Ariel Bauer of Hardee Fresh, Sebring Federico Boscolo of Cultiva Farms USA, Jennings Sasha Burgin of Burgin Farms, Wauchula Nathan Carson …
Sequencing Brings HLB Resistance Closer
University of Florida (UF) scientists achieved a major milestone in their quest to develop an HLB-resistant tree by sequencing the genome of a fruit plant that’s a close cousin to citrus trees. HLB is also known as greening disease. UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers sequenced the genome from trifoliate orange, in collaboration with scientists from the University …
Forecast for Florida Citrus Is Low
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Housing for the Harvest Program Expands
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced that the counties of Sacramento and San Luis Obispo are participating in Housing for the Harvest. This program was announced by California Governor Gavin Newsom in July to provide temporary hotel housing options for farm and food-processing employees to self-isolate if they are COVID-19 positive and do not require hospitalization. Counties …
Advice for Cold-Hardy Citrus Growers
North Florida citrus growers who are new to the industry received some marketing advice and background information recently from Vero Beach grower and packer Dan Richey. He gave a presentation during a virtual annual meeting of the Cold Hardy Citrus Association on Sept. 23. Richey, president and CEO of Riverfront Packing, urged the growers to have a plan and to …
HLB Research Featured on Website
By Madison Sankovitz, Barbara Alonso, Monique Rivera, Lukasz Stelinski, Sara García-Figuera, Peggy G. Lemaux and Beth Grafton-Cardwell The bacterial disease huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating disease and has caused massive losses to the U.S. citrus industry. The disease vector, the Asian citrus psyllid, is currently in all U.S. citrus-producing states, and the disease continues to exert a severe impact on …
Long-Term Rootstock Evaluation Is Best
A variety of different findings in recent rootstock trials led to a conclusion that long-term evaluation of rootstocks is necessary to assess economic benefits to growers. That conclusion was part of a take-home message in Ute Albrecht’s virtual Citrus Expo presentation. Albrecht is a researcher with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Her report was …
More Mexfly Quarantine Reductions in Texas
Two Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantines were removed in Texas in mid-September after three Mexfly life cycles elapsed with no additional detections in the areas. The quarantines were removed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). Effective Sept. 13, the agencies removed the quarantine in Zapata in …
Marketing North Florida Citrus
North Florida growers have planted several citrus groves in recent years. “A lot of those groves are starting to become productive,” Kevin Athearn said during a Sept. 23 Cold Hardy Citrus Association annual meeting, held virtually. Athearn, a regional specialized Extension agent, familiarized new citrus growers with some citrus terminology and suggested possible marketing strategies. “It’s important that we all …
Trade Issues for Fresh Florida Citrus
Dan Richey, president of Riverfront Packing Company, gave an update on trade issues impacting fresh Florida citrus during the recent virtual citrus Packinghouse Day meeting. Richey, also a member of the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee, says foreign sales are especially important for Florida citrus. One of the biggest topics of trade conversation is the effects on the market since the …
Peptide Could Restore Florida Citrus
CghSAMPa, the peptide found in the fruit of greening-tolerant Australian finger limes, is believed to be the first substance capable of controlling huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening). University of California, Riverside and Invaio Sciences, Inc. have partnered to advance the peptide research with hopes of bringing an HLB solution to commercialization by 2023. During a recent seminar hosted …
CCM Supports Plan to Address Imports
On Sept. 10, California Citrus Mutual (CCM) commended the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) for the actions they recently announced to address the injury caused by increased imports of seasonal and perishable products. The federal Report on Seasonal and Perishable Products in U.S. Commerce was announced earlier this …
HLB Solution Could Be Available in Three Years
University of California, Riverside (UCR) scientist Hailing Jin believes she has found a substance capable of controlling the deadly citrus greening disease known as huanglongbing (HLB). The potential cure Jin discovered is a peptide found in the fruit of greening-tolerant Australian finger limes, which have been consumed by humans for hundreds of years. Invaio Sciences, Inc., a multi-platform technology company …
Organic Solutions to Citrus Greening Sought
The Organic Center is currently working with the University of Florida, the University of California, Riverside, and several citrus growers and industry members to conduct a national review of how citrus greening disease is impacting organic growers and other industry members. The information will be used to develop a large-scale holistic research project proposal targeted toward protecting organic citrus growers from citrus …
U.S. Citrus Production Declines
Citrus utilized production in the United States for the 2019-20 season totaled 7.78 million tons, down 4 percent from the 2018-19 season. The production figures come from the Citrus Fruits 2020 Summary, a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service document. California accounted for 54 percent of total U.S. citrus; Florida totaled 42 percent, and Texas and Arizona produced …
Psyllid Study to Determine Degree of HLB Risk
University of California Riverside Extension Specialist Monique Rivera said that funding for a new research project to study the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) has been approved. The project will take a closer look at the phenology of huanglongbing (the citrus disease ACP spreads) and its prevalence in psyllid populations. The scientists will be looking for patterns that will help them …
New Targets Found for HLB Treatments
Thanks to recent advances in metabolic modeling, scientists are closer to gaining the upper hand on citrus greening (also known as huanglongbing or HLB), a disease that has wiped out citrus orchards across the globe. New models of the bacterium linked to the disease reveal control methods that were previously unavailable. Metabolic models of organisms are like road maps of …
CRDF Looking at Peptide for HLB
When news broke in July that University of California Riverside (UCR) scientists had found a peptide that might control HLB, Rick Dantzler quickly contacted lead UCR scientist Hailing Jin. Dantzler is chief operating officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), which was organized in Florida primarily to find ways to solve or cope with HLB. Jin had found …
Reusing Oilfield Produced Water for Irrigation
California citrus growers and other farmers in the Bakersfield area may feel vindicated with the result of a new study by researchers at Duke University and RTI International. As reported in the California Department of Food and Agriculture Planting Seeds blog, the study finds that reusing oilfield water that’s been mixed with surface water to irrigate farms in the Cawelo …