By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I was honored this year to be part of the Vero Heritage Center and Indian River Citrus Museum’s “Deeply Rooted” event, which was the kick-off for Indian River County’s Centennial Celebration. It made me think of this year’s Florida Citrus Hall of Fame inductees. They all have something in common with deep roots — Polk County! …
CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Programs Benefit Nurseries
By Peter Chaires The 2024–25 citrus season is another challenging one for Florida’s valued citrus nurseries. Uncertainty has been the consummate challenge for nurseries trying to anticipate grower needs. One large nursery grower recently interviewed believes that door-yard propagations are now nearing commercial propagations. Who would have ever thought we would see this happen? However, after a dismal 2022–23 propagation …
Oranges Linked to Lower Depression
Eating an orange a day may lower a person’s depression risk by 20%, according to a study led by Raaj Mehta, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Mehta is also a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. Mehta said a postdoctoral student he was working with found a 2016 paper pointing to the possibility that citrus lowers the risk …
Will Weather Set Florida Free From the Threat of PFD?
By Megan Dewdney Despite being in a transition from a La Niña to a neutral El Niño Southern Oscillation phase, Florida has not had warmer than average temperatures in the last two weeks from March 3. Looking at historical trends, temperatures for the last two weeks of February were in the normal range for this time of year. When looking …
Florida Foliar Disease Outlook for 2025
By Megan Dewdney As I write this article in January 2025, the world is a chilly place, and it is hard to imagine warm and wet weather in Florida. The predicted weather pattern from now until flowering is moving from La Niña toward neutral. This is predicted to bring above-average spring temperatures with reduced rainfall. This is a hopeful sign …
Last Chance to Preregister for the Florida Citrus Show
Online preregistration for the Florida Citrus Show closes on Sunday, March 9 at 5:00 p.m. The event is a great day of networking, learning, food and fun. THE PROGRAM Between the morning general session and breakout seminars dedicated to citrus and vegetables, there’s a lot to learn. Check out the full program here. CEUs AVAILABLE Attendees of the citrus seminar …
Global Grapefruit and Mandarin Crops to Drop
A report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) projects world grapefruit and tangerine/mandarin crops will decline in 2024–25 from the previous season. GRAPEFRUIT Global grapefruit production for 2024–25 is forecast down slightly to 6.9 million tons as decreases in Türkiye and the United States more than offset higher production in China. Exports and fruit for …
Stay Vigilant About Virus Threat
By Ozgur Batuman and Amit Levy Citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) was first reported on lemon and sour orange trees in Pakistan in 1988. Since then, the disease has been primarily restricted to Asian countries. However, CYVCV was more recently detected in dooryard citrus in California in 2022. While there is no indication that the virus is present in …
PIECES OF THE PAST: A Capstone Quote
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Described as “handsome and affable,” Vernon L. “Cap” Conner, was a board member of Florida Citrus Mutual from the beginning and served on various committees for 23 years. He believed the association was the only hope for growers to get their fair share of consumer dollars for their crop. Conner played a significant role in providing …
Florida Citrus Mutual’s Legislative Priorities
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) recently announced its “key advocacy efforts” during the upcoming state legislative session include the following: CITRUS RESEARCH AND FIELD TRIAL (CRAFT) FUNDS The top priority for FCM this legislative session is securing funding to bolster the CRAFT Foundation’s efforts to replant citrus trees. Putting healthier trees in the ground that are apt to be tolerant against …
Another Push to Prohibit Chinese Citrus Imports
U.S. Reps. Greg Steube and Daniel Webster of Florida have reintroduced legislation to prohibit the importation of fresh citrus fruit from the People’s Republic of China. Steube introduced the U.S. Citrus Protection Act approximately five years ago, in 2020. Learn more about that introduction of the legislation here. The act was introduced in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture …
Global Orange and OJ Production Forecast
Global orange production is forecast to decline in 2024–25 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS), but orange juice (OJ) production is expected to increase. ORANGES Production of global oranges is forecast down 662,000 tons to 45.2 million tons. Higher production in Brazil is expected to be more than offset by lower crops in Egypt, Türkiye and …
South African Soft Citrus Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) forecasts that 2024–25 production of South African tangerines/mandarins (also known as soft citrus) will increase by 3% from the prior year to 790,000 metric tons (MT). Growers have been putting up hail nets, which are expected to support both yield and fruit quality. PLANTED AREA AND CULTIVARS USDA FAS expects that …
Israeli Citrus Crops to Rebound
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) has forecast all varieties of Israeli citrus to rise in 2024–25 compared to the prior year. The 2023–24 marketing year saw lower production largely as a result of the war with Hamas. PRODUCTION PROJECTIONS Production by varieties in 2024–25 are projected at: GROWING REGIONS Israeli citrus production is located throughout the …
Foliar Disease Watch in Florida
By Megan Dewdney Spring is the time to start thinking about foliar disease management in Florida. Depending on the type of citrus being produced and the market destination, different diseases will be important. POSTBLOOM FRUIT DROP The disease that affects all citrus, particularly oranges, is postbloom fruit drop (PFD). This disease is highly dependent on the weather during bloom. Currently, …
Lemon Production in South Africa
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) expects lemon production in South Africa in 2024–25 to grow by 7% from the prior year to 780,000 metric tons (MT). PLANTED AREA USDA/FAS forecasts that the country’s land planted in lemons will remain unchanged at 18,000 hectares. Producers are holding back from planting any more lemons due to an oversupply …
Moroccan Tangerine/Mandarin Crop to Climb
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently forecast Morocco’s tangerine/mandarin production for 2024–25 at 1.1 million metric tons (MMT). That’s an increase of 16% from the prior season due to increased irrigation practices and a high level of new plantings coming into full production for the Nadorcott and Afourer varieties. The Moroccan area planted with tangerines/mandarins is …
Global Lemon/Lime Production to Decline
Global production of lemons and limes in 2024–25 is forecast to be down 651,000 tons, to 10.2 million tons, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS). The decline is due to a drop in production in the European Union (EU) and Türkiye as a result of unfavorable weather and yields. Exports are forecast to rise with high …
Brix Bill Reintroduced
U.S. representatives from Florida have reintroduced legislation to have the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alter the Brix standard in not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice from 10.5% to 10%. The Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act was reintroduced by Reps. Scott Franklin and Debbie Wasserman Schultz and is cosponsored by the entire Florida congressional delegation. Currently, oranges below the 10.5% …
Survey Shows Popular Scions and Rootstocks
The Florida Citrus State of the Industry Survey seeks input from growers on key issues affecting their groves. The survey has been conducted for many years, has tracked the trajectory of HLB and reported on production practices. While not a scientific survey, it has reflected general trends over the years. Last month, we published results on trunk-injection therapy and the …