Don’t Graze in the Weed Garden!

Ernie Neffweeds

A weed garden established this spring beside the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee is intended to help growers, Extension agents and others identify weeds in the grove. “The key ingredient in a weed management toolbox is to correctly identify the weed,” says Ramdas Kanissery, weed scientist at the center. “We’d like to invite groups to this garden. …

Strong Finish for 2017–18 Brazilian Citrus Season

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves The last Fundecitrus announcement (April 10) of the season for the Brazilian citrus crop was 398.35 million boxes. This includes: 77.48 million boxes of Hamlin, Westin and Rubi 18.02 million boxes of Valencia Americana and Valencia Argentina 118.47 million boxes of Pera Rio 139.62 million boxes of Valencia 44.76 million boxes of Natal (Navel) SEASON SUMMARY …

Oranges

Extra Manganese and Boron for HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Jude Grosser discusses small experiments that indicated manganese and boron can help citrus trees cope with HLB. In a greenhouse experiment from a few years ago, HLB-infected sweet orange trees were overdosed with micronutrients and secondary nutrients. “It looked like … manganese had the biggest effect on growth of the …

HLB

Zinkicide Could Help Manage HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Evan Johnson reports that the product Zinkicide appears promising as a management tool for HLB. “Zinkicide is a zinc-based nanoparticle that is designed to become systemic inside the tree and has high bactericidal activity so that hopefully it can target Liberibacter,” Johnson says. Liberibacter is the causal agent of HLB. …

bill

FDACS Begins Efforts to Eradicate Oriental Fruit Fly

Daniel CooperFood Safety, fruit, Industry News Release

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has positively identified the presence of three Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis, in south Miami-Dade County. The initial fly was discovered during routine trapping, and additional flies were discovered during expanded trapping activities. The department, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, monitors more than 56,000 fruit fly traps statewide as an …

irrigation

Citrus Renovation Irrigation Support Program Introduced

Daniel CooperIrrigation

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Water Policy has a new citrus cost-share program to assist with irrigation improvements on groves that are being replanted. FDACS announced it has set aside roughly $3 million for the Citrus Renovation Irrigation Support Program (CRISP). The program is designed to be a 75 percent cost share for the …

The Road to Recovery

Tacy Callieshurricane

Growers discuss lessons learned from Hurricane Irma, replanting plans, grove rehabilitation, crop insurance and more. By Tacy Callies Florida citrus growers awaiting Hurricane Irma federal aid and insurance payouts are doing their best to keep crops healthy until more money is available. Paul Meador, citrus grower and head of Everglades Harvesting & Hauling in LaBelle, took a big hit from …

HLB

Rucks on Citrus Varieties and Industry Recovery

Ernie NeffHLB Management, hurricane, Varieties

Phil Rucks of Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery weighs in on the increasing demand for late versus early orange varieties, the impact of Hurricane Irma and HLB. Rucks notes that over the past 30 years, the demand for early-season oranges versus late-season oranges has essentially reversed. In the past, he says, early varieties accounted for about 60 percent of plantings. Now, …

Crime

CRDF Finalizes Grower Communication Plan

Ernie NeffCRDF

At its recent May meeting, the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) finalized a communication plan that will attempt to make the organization’s information more easily available to growers and others. Ned Hancock, chairman of the CRDF communications subcommittee, reports. “One of the key elements is we’re going to revamp our website. We’re going to try to make it extremely …

Sneak Peek: June 2018 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

“If you want to survive, you have to plant” is a common sentiment heard among Florida citrus growers. The June issue of Citrus Industry magazine examines several issues of interest related to new plantings. In the cover story, Editor Tacy Callies speaks with citrus growers recovering from Hurricane Irma and shares details about their replanting plans. Other topics discussed in …

PIECES OF THE PAST: An Industry Acronym You Don’t Hear Every Day

Tacy CalliesCitrus, History

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I love scouring eBay and antique stores for citrus memorabilia because it’s always interesting to see how we, as an industry, used to do things “back in the day.” With that said, I recently came across an old ad from the Florida Citrus Processors Association for citrus pulp titled “Love at first bite because it’s highest …

climate

For Psyllids, Kaolin Clay Beats Foliar Insecticides

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Psyllids

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Christopher Vincent says kaolin clay outperforms foliar insecticides for management of HLB-spreading psyllids at times when kaolin’s use is practical. His presentation on the topic followed the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) meeting on May 22 at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. The presentation, part …

New HLB Research Facility in Riverside

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner

By Len Wilcox There’s a new research facility funded by California citrus growers to help combat huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease. The facility, located in Riverside, California, is the result of a 3-year cooperative effort of the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside) and California citrus growers. Using funds provided by members of California Citrus Mutual (CCM), …

fruit

Fruit Set Good, but ‘We’ve Got a Long Way to Go’

Ernie Nefffruit

Hardee County citrus grower John Roy Gough says he’s pleased with his fruit set so far this spring, “if I can just hold them. That’s the key to it, is holding them (fruit) on there … Of course you can’t count your chickens until they hatch, and we’ve got a long way to go.” Gough says he has experienced very …

HLB

Citrus Greening, CRDF and the National Academy of Sciences

Ernie NeffHLB Management

Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) Vice President and Governance Committee Chairman Rick Kress comments on a recent National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report regarding HLB and CRDF. He says NAS reported that CRDF has pursued all angles on HLB, also known as citrus greening, and declared there won’t be a single solution or cure. When NAS worked with CRDF …

Be Counted: Turn in Your Ag Census

Abbey TaylorProduction

Florida producers are encouraged to turn in their Census of Agriculture when they receive it in the mail. Because Florida is so agriculturally diverse, it is crucial for producers to participate so the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) can account for each crop grown. The national return rate is currently lower than it was at this point in the 2012 …

FDOC: Budget and Mission for Next Season

Ernie NeffFlorida Citrus Commission

The Florida Citrus Commission approved a preliminary 2018–19 budget of $17.645 million dollars for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). FDOC Executive Director Shannon Shepp discusses the budget and the department’s mission. “We have a net increase in the budget of about $409,000” compared to the current 2017–18 budget, Shepp says. She notes that about half of the funding will …

The Possibility of Tea Production as a Citrus Alternative

Abbey TaylorAlternative Crops

By Breanna Kendrick Fourth-generation citrus grower James Orrock is a plant pathology graduate student at the University of Florida who is studying tea as a possible alternative crop to be grown on former citrus land. “The citrus industry is having to go through some changes, so one of the key aspects of Florida agriculture right now is diversification,” said Orrock. …

What Is CRISPR and What Does it Mean for Citrus?

Tacy CalliesBreeding

By Fred Gmitter, Yi Zhang and Jude Grosser It is very likely that you have heard about the use of CRISPR technology and its great potential for addressing human health issues, as well as the promise it holds for providing solutions for major agricultural challenges, particularly for huanglongbing (HLB) in citrus. Granting agencies are supporting many citrus research projects aimed …

production

Growers Discuss Production Levels

Ernie NeffProduction

The level of fruit production in groves was one of the major topics discussed at a citrus grower roundtable meeting on May 15 in Wauchula, Florida. Several growers said their per-acre production increased this season, but one said he had huge production declines. One grower said his Valencia crop doubled. Another said he had a 50 percent crop increase, adding …