Fresh Industry Faring Well During Coronavirus

Ernie NeffFresh

So far, Florida’s fresh citrus industry reportedly has fared well throughout the coronavirus crisis, with fruit in high demand and no major problems blamed on the pandemic. Doug Bournique, executive vice president of the Indian River Citrus League, said consumer demand has kept packers in his region busy. “Their demand is strong from the supermarkets, the orders are up, and …

pesticide

UF/IFAS and FDACS Working to Bring Pesticide Licensing Online

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release, Pesticides

(UF/IFAS) — University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) are working to identify ways to provide online testing for certified pesticide applicators while in-person testing is unavailable due to COVID-19. All in-person UF/IFAS Extension programs and activities, including pesticide testing, have been postponed or cancelled through …

Effect of Planting Density and Enhanced Nutrition on Grapefruit

Tacy CalliesNutrition

By Rhuanito Soranz Ferrarezi, Dinesh Phuyal, Davie Kadyampakeni and Kelly Morgan The Indian River District is the world’s premier grapefruit production region due to a warm, ocean-facing humid climate and Flatwoods soils. The geographical location leads to the production of fruit with thin rinds and exceptional juice and color that has been a high-value export delicacy in Europe and Asia. …

North Florida Meeting Addresses Citrus Production Practices

Tacy CalliesProduction

By Clint Thompson Citrus was the focus of an annual meeting held in Quincy, Florida, on March 12. Growers from Florida and Georgia converged at the North Florida Research and Education Center to learn about various citrus management practices for the region. GROWER-GUIDED AGENDA Danielle Sprague, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension agent in Jefferson …

fresh

Keeping Fresh Fruit Marketable

Ernie NeffFresh

Mark Ritenour with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) discusses research efforts to keep Florida’s fresh fruit marketable. Ritenour is a postharvest horticulturist at the Indian River Research and Education Center. Ritenour begins with maximum residue limit requirements for chemicals in fresh citrus for export. A UF/IFAS website provides pesticide residue limits by various major …

Root Hair Enhancement With Low Phosphorus Concentrations

Tacy CalliesNutrition

By Laura Waldo and Arnold Schumann It has been the accepted belief for many years that citrus varieties and rootstocks do not develop root hairs. However, research has shown that root hair growth can be stimulated when soil phosphorus (P) concentrations are extremely low. It is possible that in Florida, citrus roots could fail to produce root hairs due to …

Florida Citrus Hall of Fame: Inductees and More

Ernie NeffAwards, History

Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Executive Director Brenda Eubanks Burnette names the latest inductees and discusses the organization. Citrus Industry magazine editor Tacy Callies interviewed Burnette at the 2020 Florida Citrus Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 6 at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Burnette says this year was “the first time that I can remember … that all …

Algal Spot: A Re-emerging Disease

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Megan M. Dewdney Algal spot has not been seen frequently for many years, but in the last few years I have been getting more questions about identification and management. The disease is caused by a green alga, Cephaleuros virescens. The alga is not considered a parasite, as it grows superficially, but it does cause damage to trees if left …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Paying Tribute to Pioneers

Tacy CalliesPieces of the Past

Recently, I came across an old letter A.F. Camp wrote to John T. Lesley in 1979. I thought it was so interesting that I shared it with the members of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Selection Committee. I wanted them to think about how hard things were “back in the day” in considering the contributions of some of the …

Citrus Leprosis Poses a Threat to Florida

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Amit Levy, Ozgur Batuman, Peggy Sieburth and Lauren Diepenbrock Citrus leprosis is an exotic viral disease not currently present in Florida. This disease is of interest since it was reported in citrus in Florida and Brazil in the early 1900s, where it caused great crop and tree losses, but it was eliminated from Florida in the early 1960s. Currently, …

Planning for Foliar Disease Management in 2020

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Megan Dewdney and Evan Johnson In 2019, the trend of fewer problems with foliar fungal diseases for Florida citrus continued, which was good news for the industry. Despite the El Niño conditions during the spring, little postbloom fruit drop (PFD) was observed because the temperatures were low (< 75 F) when it rained during bloom. The southern parts of …

trained

Trained Dogs Are the Most Efficient Way to Hunt Citrus Industry’s Biggest Threat

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, HLB Management, Industry News Release

(USDA/ARS) — Dogs specially trained by Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists have proven to be the most efficient way to detect huanglongbing— also known as citrus greening — according to a paper just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Currently, the only solid hope of curtailing the spread of citrus greening is to eliminate trees with the …

Sneak Peek: February 2020 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The February issue of Citrus Industry magazine lets growers know what diseases to be on the lookout for this season and how best to spot them in the grove. University of Florida (UF) researchers Megan Dewdney and Evan Johnson give citrus growers tips on planning for disease management in 2020 in their article. Citrus canker, greasy spot, melanose, black spot …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Twenty-Twenty Vision

Tacy CalliesHistory, Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Here we are in 2020. It’s hard to believe that time is flying by so fast. I’m now in the older generation! This makes me want to preserve as many memories as possible before they’re lost and forgotten. Approximately 30 people showed up at a recent Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Oral History Luncheon at the …

Citrus Pest Management: More Than Just Psyllids

Tacy CalliesPests

By Lauren Diepenbrock Non-psyllid, soft-bodied insects are common in Florida citrus. Their ability to cause damage varies by pest, pest population size, tree age and tree variety. Soft-bodied insects include scales, mealybugs, whiteflies and aphids, all of which are small and can be hard to detect until the telltale sign of sooty mold development appears on their excrement (honeydew) or …

Citrus Greening Bacterium Is Now Available in Culture — So What’s Next?

Tacy CalliesCitrus Greening, Research

By Nabil Killiny A dynamic research collaboration between several labs at Washington State University (Gang, Beyenal and Omsland labs), University of Arizona (Brown lab) and University of Florida (Killiny lab) recently reported an important step in the long-sought culture of the bacterium [Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas)] associated with huanglongbing (HLB). The work, published in the journal Biofilm, describes a new …

PIECES OF THE PAST: From Yearling to Centenarian

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette When Citrus Industry magazine was launched 100 years ago, the founders had many fears as to whether the focus on a single crop was too narrow to be successful. It would be something I clearly remember the Frisbie family discussing with staff at different times over the years. However, at the close of the publication’s first …

Niche Market and Dooryard Citrus for the HLB World

Tacy CalliesVarieties

By Jude Grosser, Manjul Dutt and Fred Gmitter The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus improvement team at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) has developed a broad citrus germplasm base. This provides opportunities to generate diverse, interesting and possibly lucrative selections with niche market and dooryard potential. Several such selections are showing reasonable …

nominations

Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees Chosen for 2020

Daniel CooperAwards, Industry News Release

(FCHOF) — The Selection Committee for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame has announced three distinguished leaders who will be inducted into the hall of fame during the 57th Citrus Celebration Luncheon. Frank E. Gardner (deceased), formerly of Orlando; John M. Kennedy, Sr. (deceased), formerly of Umatilla; and Karick Price, Sr. (deceased), formerly of Orlando, will be honored at the …

Final Herbicide Strategy

New ‘Identification of Weeds in Florida Citrus’ Guide Available Now

Daniel Cooperweeds

(UF/IFAS) — The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension bookstore has released an updated version of “Identification of Weeds in Florida Citrus,” a pocket-sized quick reference guide to weeds commonly observed throughout the state that may be frequently found in citrus groves. “The comprehensiveness of this guide makes it useful not only for growers in …