caviar lime

First Brazilian Variety of Caviar Lime Registered

Daniel CooperBrazil, Limes, Varieties

The state of São Paulo has the first Brazilian variety of caviar lime registered in the National Register of Cultivars. Developed by the Agronomic Institute (IAC), the Faustrime cultivar was registered in 2023 and is expected to reach the market later this year. Faustrime is a hybrid of the Australian finger lime (Microcitrus australasica) crossed with a Eustis limequat. Originating …

act

Proposed Act to Improve H-2A Program

Daniel CooperLabor, Legislative

U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, chair of the House Agriculture Committee, introduced the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026. The act is meant to improve the accessibility and cost of agricultural labor through the H-2A visa program. The legislation is supported by more than 400 agricultural groups. The H-2A program allows foreign workers to perform temporary agricultural jobs in …

vitamin C

Vitamin C Linked to Better Brain Health in Older Adults

Daniel CooperResearch

A new study published in the journal PLOS One suggests that higher vitamin C levels in the blood are associated with healthier brain structure and stronger brain network connectivity in older adults. The research provides another reminder of the potential value of vitamin C-rich foods, including citrus fruits and juices. The study — “Plasma Vitamin C Levels Are Associated With …

July

Sneak Peek: July 2026 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperCUPS, Events, Sneak Peek

The Citrus Industry section of the July 2026 issue of Specialty Crop Grower magazine provides conference coverage, new research on a biofertilizer, details on citrus under protective screen (CUPS) expansion and more. The section opens with coverage of the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference. Optimism ran high following a $196 million budget allocation for the citrus industry from the Florida …

Citrus Innovation Center

Citrus Innovation Center Creates Flavors and Fragrances

Daniel CooperResearch

When most folks think of Florida citrus, orange juice or fresh grapefruit comes to mind. Few appreciate the full diversity of the fruit hidden in its bloom, peel, juices and oils. That is where the Citrus Innovation Center comes in with high-tech approaches to extract more out of Florida’s signature crop. The 30,000-square-foot facility on the campus of Florida Polytechnic …

website

UF/IFAS Website Brings All Things Citrus Together

Daniel CooperTip of the Week

By Jamie D. Burrow, Tripti Vashisth and Michael E. Rogers In the early days of huanglongbing (HLB), the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Team realized it needed to bring its HLB content together on a single website to make it more accessible. The website has become outdated, and much more is available today for …

Indian River

PIECES OF THE PAST: Rooted in the Indian River

Daniel CooperIndian River, Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Victor Knight was born June 5, 1929, into a family already rooted deep in the Indian River citrus industry. Friends would later say he was “born with his feet in the grove,” and for nearly eight decades he proved it. His family worked groves and cattle near Winter Beach. Knight was the sixth of seven children …

injury

Reducing Trunk Injury From OTC Injections

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Ute Albrecht, Larissa Nunes and Igor Silva Trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) requires drilling a hole into the trunk and injecting a foreign substance into the tree. Not only does the physical damage from drilling cause injury, but the application of chemicals can exacerbate both the external and internal damage. BARK CRACKING Externally, aside from the drill hole, bark …

preharvest

Top Fungal Threats Behind Preharvest Fruit Rot

Daniel CooperDiseases, Research

A new study has identified several fungal pathogens associated with preharvest sweet orange fruit spoilage. It provides insights that could help citrus growers better understand and manage fruit rot problems in the grove. The research, “Morphological Identification of Fungi Associated with Preharvest Spoilage of Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis L.) Fruit in Bilo Nopha, Southwestern Ethiopia,” was published in the journal …

global lemon

Drop in Global Lemon Supply

Daniel CooperInternational, lemons

A recent review of the 2025–26 global lemon market reported a drop in supply, highlighted by Türkiye’s production collapse. Economists Pablo Resco Sánchez and Pablo Santiago Izu Pérez of Platform Land conducted the review. According to the review, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast for the 2025–26 season put global lemon production at around 10.1 million tons. That’s a 6.6% …

demand

Declining Demand for Orange Juice

Daniel CooperEconomics, Orange Juice

In a recent forecast of a challenging 2026–27 season for the global orange juice (OJ) market, Rabobank addresses the expected continued decline in OJ demand. Edited excerpts from the Rabobank report follow: Demand for OJ shows no signs of recovery. Although global frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) and not from concentrate (NFC) prices have been trending downward since early 2025, …

Hancock

Hancock Honored With Citrus Achievement Award

Daniel CooperAwards

Some of Ned Hancock’s earliest memories illustrate what set him on the path to become a citrus grower. His grandfather would pick him up on Saturdays with some tasks to complete in the groves. Then his father awakened his entrepreneurial spirit in his early teens. “My dad had bought a piece of land that had some old seedling orange trees,” …

Florida grapefruit

IMG and Mixon Form Florida Grapefruit Partnership

Daniel CooperFlorida, Grapefruit

IMG Citrus and Mixon Family Citrus have announced a partnership to serve Florida grapefruit customers around the world. The partnership combines Mixon’s citrus under protective screen (CUPS) production with IMG’s experience marketing grapefruit across North America, Europe and Asia. Both entities are multigenerational Florida agribusiness families. The partnership is expected to account for more than half of Florida’s fresh grapefruit …

hurricane season

Hurricane Season Forecast Downgraded

Daniel Cooperhurricane

Colorado State University (CSU) on June 10 reduced its 2026 Atlantic basin hurricane season forecast and continues to anticipate a below-normal season. The June 10 forecast projects: According to CSU, warm neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation conditions are likely to transition to El Niño shortly, with a high potential for a moderate/strong El Niño for the peak of hurricane season. Sea …

Cyprus

Biocontrol of Psyllids Is Successful in Cyprus

Daniel CooperBiologicals, International, Pests

Classical biological control is having a very significant impact on populations of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) in Cyprus, according to Ángel Marhuenda, director general of common agricultural policy for the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA). ACP is the vector of huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Marhuenda said, however, that “the detection of residual populations of the vector indicates that continued …

supply

Forecast for 2026–27 Global Orange Juice Supply

Daniel CooperForecast, International, Orange Juice

Rabobank recently forecast a challenging 2026–27 harvest year for the global orange juice (OJ) industry. It reported that while global supply is forecast to contract, the ongoing decline in OJ demand is likely to continue. As a result, global frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) prices are expected to struggle to recover sustainably. This article, focusing on OJ supply, consists of …

Orange Juice

Orange Juice: A Fruit or a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage?

Daniel CooperOrange Juice

A recent international nutrition symposium concluded that evidence supports classifying 100% fruit juice — including 100% orange juice — as a form of fruit rather than as a sugar-sweetened beverage. Unlike sugar-sweetened beverages, 100% orange juice contains naturally occurring sugars from the fruit itself, with no added sugar, the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) noted in a summary of the …

June 2026

Sneak Peek: June 2026 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperAwards, Research, Sneak Peek

The Citrus Industry section of the June 2026 issue of Specialty Crop Grower focuses on leadership and research. On the cover of the magazine is Ned Hancock, winner of the 2026 Citrus Achievement Award. He is being recognized for his decades-long leadership and dedication to serving Florida’s citrus industry. Don’t miss the accompanying video in the digital issue of the …

industry

Pressures Impacting the Brazilian Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperBrazil, Production

Shifts in the international geopolitical landscape, rising logistics costs, sanitary barriers and currency fluctuations are directly impacting Brazil’s fruit industry, including citrus. The effects of these transformations were discussed during a recent edition of the Socioeconomics Debates series, hosted by Embrapa, under the theme, Brazil’s Fruit Industry: How Global Crises Impact What Reaches Your Table. Researchers, economists and production representatives …

village

PIECES OF THE PAST: It Takes a Village

Daniel CooperAwards, Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Editor’s note: This month’s Pieces of the Past is the author’s acceptance speech after being inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame on March 27. Congratulations, Brenda! Forty-five years ago, I had no idea that entering the Florida Citrus Queen contest would change the entire course of my life. I simply needed scholarship money for …