The Facts on Preharvest Fruit Drop

Tacy CalliesProduction, Research

By Tripti Vashisth, Lisa Tang and Sukhdeep Singh In citrus, huanglongbing (HLB) causes an increase in the mature fruit drop rate up to three months prior to commercial harvest. This preharvest fruit drop results in a great reduction in yield and overall grove productivity. Since the plant growth regulators that improve fruit retention on healthy trees do not have consistent …

How One Small Grower Handles HLB

Tacy CalliesHLB Management

By Ernie Neff It’s common belief — and probably true — that small Florida citrus growers have suffered more than larger growers as a result of HLB. Del Murphy might agree, but his family’s 66-acre citrus grove east of Avon Park is doing well by any Florida standard. He says the Murphy Partnership production program seems to be working “as …

Research

Citrus Research at SWFREC

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Research

Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) Director Kelly Morgan provides an update on citrus research being conducted at the center. SWFREC is operated by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Morgan says most of the research is “related to greening, but not all of it.” Greening is another term for huanglongbing (HLB), the citrus …

Growers Have a Bigger Problem Than HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Market

“A bigger gorilla by far than HLB, going into the future, is slumping market demand for citrus products from Florida and apparently from other producing areas in the United States as well,” declares Apopka citrus grower Chip Henry of McGuire Groves. He believes the decline in demand for Florida citrus products is related to HLB reducing fruit quality. “Consumers are …

Citrus Youth Day Is Fun for Faculty, Too

Ernie NeffCitrus

Sixty-eight people attended the third annual Citrus Youth Day at Lake Alfred’s Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) on June 27. Jamie Burrow, Extension program manager with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, says the CREC faculty and staff “get, I think, just as excited as the kids. So we really have a good time, even …

Psyllids

Psyllids, Yield and Weed Control

Ernie NeffPsyllids, weeds

Recent University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows that HLB-spreading psyllids can feed on weeds, and that good weed control can increase fruit yield. The research results were presented by UF/IFAS weed scientist Ramdas Kanissery, who works at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) in Immokalee. Kanissery said his work on psyllids feeding …

uf

UF/IFAS Helps Assess, Manage New Fruit Bug

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release, invasive, Pests, Research, Top

Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are already trying to help growers figure out how to effectively manage the problems created by an invasive pest  – confirmed last week in Highlands County — that could further erode citrus production at a time when growers are just beginning to turn the corner on managing …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Back When Bushel Baskets Were the Next Big Thing

Tacy CalliesPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette While some things stay the same in citrus, others clearly do not. Today’s growers are experimenting with drones and other technology in the grove, but back in the 1920s, bushel baskets were making waves in the industry. Here’s an interesting excerpt from a March 1921 Citrus Industry article titled “Citrus Fruits in Bushel Baskets” by M.S. …

orange

Orange Grower: ‘Best Year I’ve Ever Had’

Ernie NeffProduction

Hardee County orange grower Kenny Sanders said at a grower roundtable meeting on June 25 that he produced 409 boxes per acre in the 2018–19 Florida citrus season. “This is the best year financially I’ve ever had in the citrus business,” Sanders said at the Wauchula gathering hosted by Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association. “In 2012, I picked 500 …

chemicals

Getting HLB Material Into Phloem

Ernie NeffHLB Management

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman discusses efforts to get materials that fight HLB into the citrus tree’s phloem, where it might be most effective. Batuman explains that bacteria that cause HLB “live inside the phloem of citrus. That is very difficult to reach to kill … by conventional methods, such as …

Sneak Peek: July 2019 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

Four articles on grove management will give citrus growers food for thought in the July issue of Citrus Industry magazine. The first article tells how one grower handles HLB. Del Murphy discusses production practices that have helped him cope with the disease. Bactericides, irrigation and nutrition management are among the topics he addresses. The second article is for growers who …

Understanding Glyphosate Formulations

Tacy CalliesResearch, weeds

By Ramdas Kanissery, Steve Futch, Brent Sellers and Camille McAvoy Glyphosate is a popular post-emergent herbicide among Florida citrus growers for its broad-spectrum of weed control under trees and in row middles. The use of glyphosate as a “burn-down” application alone, or in combination with other herbicides, is a standard practice in citrus groves. Various glyphosate-containing product formulations are available …

Technology: Consider the Costs

Ernie NeffTechnology

Tara Wade, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences economist, has some advice for growers considering new technology for the grove. “What we’d like growers to do is start to think about all the costs involved … do the math before they invest,” she says. “Growers have to constantly think about the trade-offs” of adopting new technology …

citrus greening

Studying Citrus Greening with an Integrated Approach

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, Diseases, HLB Management, Industry News Release, Psyllids, Research

While citrus growers continue to look for best management approaches to deal with the deadly greening disease, scientists will take an integrated look at how to protect young trees by using existing tools growers can use. Five scientists from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will compare insect management tools, including insect-proof netting. Researchers also …

UF/IFAS

Jack Payne Announces Retirement

Daniel CooperAgriculture, Citrus, Citrus Greening, Research

After serving nearly 10 years as the senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Jack Payne announced he will retire next year. His last day with UF/IFAS will be July 1, 2020. Payne has overseen Extension offices across Florida and its 12 research and education centers since …

Update on Brassinosteroids for HLB Management

Tacy CalliesHLB Management, Research

By Fernando Alferez, Christopher Vincent and Tripti Vashisth Brassinosteroids (BR), a relatively newly discovered class of plant hormone, regulate several developmental and physiological processes in fruit crops such as grapes, pears and cherries and in some non-edible plants. BR also induce disease resistance against different pathogens in a great number of crop plants. A form of BR (epibrassinolide) was shown …

june

All In For Citrus Podcast, June 2019

Taylor HillmanAll In For Citrus Podcast

June’s All In For Citrus Podcast is filled with updates on University of Florida citrus research. First, Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers discusses a recent visit by some U.S. Department of Agriculture administrators who make decisions on how millions of dollars in farm bill citrus research money are allocated. He explains that the visit was very valuable …

CUPS

Many Aspects of CUPS Addressed

Ernie NeffCUPS, Research

Arnold Schumann, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor of soil science, reports on his five years of research into citrus under protective screen (CUPS) for fresh fruit. He is one of the first researchers in Florida to do extensive, hands-on research into the system. His discussion is part of the current All In For Citrus …

forecast

CRAFT Program Moving Forward

Ernie NeffCitrus, Research

A direct support organization (DSO) to be established within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will reportedly run the massive Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRAFT) program. Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks announced the pending arrangement June 13 during the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Bonita Springs. The CRAFT program features an expected 5,000 acres of …

TCP Might Help Trees Tolerate HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Nutrition

Laboratory tests of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) indicate it has potential use as a fertilizer that might help citrus growers cope with HLB, says Laura Waldo, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) laboratory manager. “The hope is that it can help a tree by inducing root hair development and thereby allowing the tree to uptake nutrients …