August brings the biggest issue of Citrus Industry magazine of the year! That’s due to the annual Citrus, Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo on Aug. 18-19 in North Fort Myers, Florida. The August issue serves as the show guide to the event and includes the seminar schedule, an exhibitor directory and everything attendees need to make the most of the …
PIECES OF THE PAST: The ‘Plymouth Rock’ of Citrus
I recently acquired a visitor’s guide for Plymouth Citrus Products Cooperative. The guide invited visitors to tour the cooperative’s facilities located in where else but Plymouth, Florida, which is between Orlando and Leesburg. According to the guide, the cooperative provided “quality canned and frozen citrus products, citrus pulp and molasses.” Visitors were encouraged to take a guided tour that showcased …
Treating Pathogens Without Antibiotics
Federal researchers announced that they have found an innovative way to treat pathogens (harmful bacteria) and pests in citrus trees and potato and tomato plants without the use of antibiotics. The researchers are with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The research was done in collaboration with the University of Florida and AUM LifeTech Inc. The …
Protect Citrus Trees From Heat Stress
By Amir Rezazadeh Heat stress affects the production of different citrus varieties, particularly seedless varieties. The severe effect of heat stress can be seen during the flowering and fruit set stage as well as June drop. High temperature can affect different growth stages of citrus trees, such as vegetative growth, flowering and fruit set. EARLY SIGNSThe following are early signs …
CUPS Tree Growth Surprises Growers
Brothers Jerry and Keith Mixon have been surprised by how well trees grow in their citrus under protective screen (CUPS) facilities in Alturas, Florida. “All of the varieties we are growing have responded amazingly,” they said recently about their CUPS experience. Though each brother has his own CUPS structures, they jointly discussed their results. The brothers have a combined 130 …
Maximizing Rootstock Seed Production
By Fernando Alferez, Deived Uilian de Carvalho, Daniel Boakye, Tim Gast and Manjul Dutt Endemic HLB in Florida has provoked increased pressure to replant and reset infected groves. This has resulted in concern from citrus growers and nursery operators about seed availability for the most popular rootstocks in the state. In the past, all rootstock fruit (both early and late …
Improved Orange Cultivars
Improved sweet orange cultivars for processing and fresh fruit were the topic of a virtual presentation July 14 by plant breeder Jude Grosser. Grosser works at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. HAMLIN SOMACLONE N13-32This new and distinct early-season clone of Hamlin has improved juice color and …
All In For Citrus Podcast, July 2021
A pest problem in citrus under protective screen (CUPS), heat stress guidance, and Citrus Expo news headline the July episode of the All In For Citrus podcast. Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers begins the episode with an overview of the seminars at this year’s Citrus Expo. He said his University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …
Growers Discuss CRAFT Projects
Four Florida growers recently discussed efforts they’ll take to cope with HLB in plantings subsidized by the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program. Their comments were part of a virtual educational session sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) and Florida Citrus Mutual. CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler said the projects discussed were among 103 funded …
HLB Control Has Been Costly for Growers
California’s efforts to keep huanglongbing (HLB) at bay have been largely successful. So far, the state’s huge citrus industry has avoided the devastating loss of trees that has occurred in Florida, South America and other commercial citrus-growing regions around the world. However, those efforts have come with a cost to citrus growers. Bruce Babcock, professor of public policy at University …
Time for Brown Rot Management
By Evan Johnson The Florida summer rainy season is in full swing, and there have been one or two root flushes by now. This is a good environment for increases in soil Phytophthora propagule counts. High counts have been seen this year, especially in Southwest Florida. While much of the focus may be on root rot, it is important to …
Indian River Millennium Block Shows Rootstock Effects
By Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi, J. Martin Zapien-Macias, Mac Hossain, Tom James, Ronald D. Cave, Peter Spyke, William S. Castle, Jude W. Grosser, Fred Gmitter and Ed Stover In the last decade, huanglongbing (HLB) has reduced production of Florida grapefruit by 75%, mandarin by 78% and sweet orange by 52%. This decrease is significant for the Indian River District, which produces …
Avoiding Heat-Related Deaths
A new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) report showed 215 people in Florida died from heat-related causes in the last 10 years. The fact that heat-related deaths happen throughout the year surprised the researchers who wrote the report. Serap Gorucu, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, helped write the report. She and …
First Citrus Canker Detection in Alabama
Citrus canker has been detected in a residential area of Baldwin County, Alabama, which is bordered by Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. Federal and state plant health officials confirmed the identification of the disease from foliage and fruit samples collected by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ (ADAI) routine citrus survey. This was the first detection of citrus …
CRAFT May Encourage Early-Mid Orange Plantings
Officials with the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program are considering giving future participating growers an incentive to plant more early- and mid-season oranges. The topic was discussed by CRAFT’s board of directors after board member Phillip Rucks pointed out there’s a trend for nurseries to propagate far more late-season oranges than early- and mid-season oranges. Tables that the …
OJ Consumption Aids Children’s Health
Moderate consumption of 100% orange juice (OJ) should be encouraged in children due to its multiple health benefits and lack of negative impacts on body weight, numerous studies indicate. The studies have revealed that children who regularly drink 100% orange juice have higher intakes of key nutrients, higher quality diets, and may have healthier lifestyle habits than children who do …
What To Do About Algal Spot
By Megan Dewdney I did not need to visit my field trial to know that algal spot was in bloom on citrus in the last month. I have received many phone calls about it recently as growers notice the bright orange doughnuts on their tree limbs. For those unfamiliar with algal spot, it is a disease that occurs mostly on …
Final U.S. Citrus Crop Forecast Sees Changes
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final 2020-2021 Florida orange forecast is 52.8 million boxes. California orange production edged out Florida with 54.5 million boxes of oranges. Texas oranges remained at 1.05 million boxes. The final Florida orange total is comprised of 22.7 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, midseason and Navel varieties), unchanged from the June forecast, and 30.1 …
Valencia Performance and Rootstock Propagation Methods
By Ute Albrecht, Sameer Pokhrel and Kim D. Bowman According to the 2019–2020 Citrus Budwood Annual Report, there were 772,391 (20%) rootstock propagations from tissue culture and 224,346 (6%) from cuttings out of the 3.9 million total propagations that season. The report is from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This unprecedented high number of vegetative (not from …
Agriculture Dangers Revealed in Research
New research suggests that the agriculture industry is more dangerous than previously believed. The research revealed that from 2015 to 2019, more than 60,000 people across the United States were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal, agricultural-related injuries. Significantly, nearly a third of those injured were youths, according to study author Judd Michael. Michael is a professor of agricultural and …