Citrus Expo

A Glimpse at CRDF Programs and Planning

Tacy CalliesCitrus, News from our Sponsor

By Harold Browning Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation As we start the new fiscal year at the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), there are a number of priority activities in place to focus effort and resources on important tools for managing citrus in the presence of HLB. Here are some highlights. Currently, CRDF is sponsoring …

Varieties: Replacing Hamlins with Early Valencias

Ernie NeffVarieties

University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant breeder Jude Grosser makes a case for Florida’s citrus industry replacing Hamlin oranges with early-maturing Valencia oranges that he and others are developing. “I think that’s a no-brainer because Hamlins are having a really bad time with greening, and orange juice sales are declining,” Grosser says. “Hamlin is half our juice. …

rootstock

Biostimulants Have Positive Effects

Ernie NeffBiostimulants

University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant physiologist Ute Albrecht described the use of microbial amendments, specifically biostimulants, at a July 26 seminar in Immokalee. Albrecht works at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, site of the seminar hosted by multi-county citrus Extension agent Mongi Zekri. “Biostimulants come in a wide range of different products” …

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to Draw FFA Raffle Winners

Abbey TaylorCitrus Expo

Citrus Expo is excited to host U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Wednesday, August 16, along with U.S. Representative Tom Rooney. Perdue and Rooney will walk the trade show floor and mingle with the Citrus Expo exhibitors and attendees. Citrus Expo will provide Perdue and Rooney with a firsthand look at the challenges faced by the U.S. citrus industry, …

Hunt Brothers Fellowship Grows Future Citrus Industry Leaders

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release, Research

Even when Matt Mattia was studying tomato breeding as a master’s student at the University of Florida (UF), he was dreaming of citrus. Now a doctoral student at UF, he’s working toward achieving that dream of working in one of Florida’s most important industries. Thanks to the Hunt Brothers Fellowship, which funds graduate research in citrus, Mattia can live, work …

Sneak Peek: August 2017 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The August issue of Citrus Industry magazine serves as the show guide for the 2017 Citrus Expo. Now in its 26th year, Citrus Expo is the largest trade show and seminar program of its kind in the United States. The event takes place August 16–17 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, Florida. This year, Citrus Expo is …

HLB management

Management Plan for Roots of HLB-Infected Trees

Abbey TaylorCitrus Greening, HLB Management

By Jaci Schrekengost As huanglongbing (HLB) continues to decimate citrus crops, researchers continue to search for new, efficient ways growers can manage the disease. HLB, also known as citrus greening disease, is vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid. The disease affects the entire tree, including the roots and fruit. Tripti Vashisth, assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist at the University …

labor

Farm Labor Supervisor Training Coming in Fall

Ernie NeffLabor

Carlene Thissen, project coordinator for farm labor supervisor training at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee, discusses the training scheduled for this fall. “We have for the last five years offered training to farm labor supervisors,” Thissen says. “So basically the way we say it, regarding farm workers, we make their bosses better. And we make sure …

Citrus Chief Gets New Contract, No Raise

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release

From News Service of Florida Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus, will not receive a raise under a new contract approved Wednesday. The Florida Citrus Commission unanimously approved the deal, which alters Shepp’s severance package. The package initially would have given her the equivalent of 20 weeks’ pay if she was let go. Instead, Shepp will …

Florida citrus growers

UF Researcher Working on HLB Solutions

Abbey TaylorCitrus Greening, HLB Management

By Jaci Schreckengost All research at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) at the University of Florida (UF) currently deals with huanglongbing (HLB) to help protect the citrus industry. “Even if we’re interested in looking into other things, this needs to be solved in order to be able to have an industry to work with in the future,” says …

Citrus Expo to Host U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue

Abbey TaylorCitrus Expo

Citrus Expo is proud to announce that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will be attending the first day of the show on Wednesday, August 16, with U.S. Representative Tom Rooney. Perdue and Rooney are looking forward to walking the tradeshow floor and viewing the top-of-the-line products and services the Citrus Expo exhibitors have to offer. While on the trade …

Monitoring Tree Health Using Water-Uptake Rate

Tacy CalliesCitrus

By Reza Ehsani, Azadeh Alizadeh and Davie Kadyampakeni Many scientists in Florida and other parts of the world are working hard to find a treatment for citrus greening and frequently conducting field trials to evaluate the effectiveness of their treatments. Monitoring plant physiological factors, yield and fruit quality are usually among the factors that they need to assess tree health. …

planting

High-Density Planting Increases Yields

Ernie Neffplanting

Larry Black, general manager of Peace River Packing Company in Fort Meade, told growers at the recent Florida Citrus Mutual conference about his company’s success with high-density plantings. Black reported some four-year-old Valencia blocks are producing more than 300 boxes per acre. That’s double the current average Florida citrus yield of about 150 boxes per acre in the face of …

citrus greening

Justices Reject Challenge to Scott Citrus Veto

Daniel CooperCitrus, Citrus Greening, Industry News Release

by Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida Despite clear frustrations of some justices, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday declined to invalidate Gov. Rick Scott’s veto of $37.4 million that lawmakers approved to compensate homeowners whose healthy citrus trees were cut down by the state more than a decade ago. The ruling pointed to circuit court cases in Broward and …

citrus crop forecast

Final U.S. Citrus Crop Forecast Down 17 Percent from Last Season

Daniel CooperCitrus, Crop Forecast

Candi Erick, the agricultural statistics administrator with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Florida Agricultural Statistics Service, reports the final citrus crop forecast of the 2016-17 season. The United States all-orange forecast for the 2016-2017 season is down 2 percent from last month and down 17 percent from last season’s final utilization. The 2016-2017 Florida all-orange forecast released …

citrus

UF/IFAS Microbiologist Works Toward Greening Treatment

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, Industry News Release

by Brad Buck, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences In the same year the University of Florida’s (UF) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) celebrates its 100th anniversary, Nian Wang believes he may be close to finding the “off switch” for greening, the disease devastating Florida’s multi-billion-dollar-a-year citrus industry. Wang, an associate professor of microbiology and cell sciences …

Understanding Soil-Moisture Sensor Data

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Irrigation

By Arnold Schumann and Laura Waldo Florida citrus trees may require irrigation throughout the year due to the extremely sandy soils with low water-holding capacities and the warm subtropical climate with distinct drought periods in spring. Citrus trees are evergreen and may be actively growing at any time, with no true dormant phase. HLB-affected trees are particularly prone to multiple …

planting

Planting in the Northern Citrus Belt

Ernie Neffplanting

Some long-time farmers in the Hastings area plan to develop more than 100 acres of tangerines over the next four to five years. Gary England, University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences regional specialized Extension agent and director of the Hastings Agricultural Extension Center, discusses their plans. He says the farmers, whom he declined to name, are “looking strictly …

citrus greening

Citrus Diseases Discussed at Farm Bill Listening Session

Daniel CooperCitrus, Citrus Greening, Farm Bill

Various comments on many areas of agriculture were given during the first farm bill listening session hosted by the House Agriculture Committee recently in Gainesville, Florida. Among those who shared comments was John Barben, a fifth-generation citrus grower from Highlands County. He talked to committee members about citrus diseases.   Hear his comments. Sponsored ContentTake Advantage of Rising Temperatures to …

Fred Gmitter: Slow Road to Fast Genetics

Tacy CalliesBreeding, Citrus

By Ernie Neff Even Nostradamus would have struggled to predict a career path for a 25-year-old Fred Gmitter. Gmitter had quit college after three years at Rutgers University, where he studied English literature with plans to teach. He said he “became completely disillusioned” with that plan. He married, worked as a delivery truck driver and warehouse laborer, and traveled out …