Highlights from the International HLB Conference

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening, HLB Management

Harold Browning, chief operations officer at the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), provides an overview of activities at the recent International Research Conference on HLB held in Orlando. The conference was hosted by Florida Citrus Mutual, with much assistance from CRDF. “There were nearly 500 participants from 24 countries” including for the first time scientists from Cuba, Browning reports. …

Groves sold

More than 90 Groves, Former Groves Sold in 2016

Ernie NeffCitrus

More than 90 Florida citrus groves or former citrus groves were sold in 2016. Twenty four of the former groves are transitioning to other agriculture or to development. The sales are detailed in the Lay of the Land 2016 Market Report prepared by Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate (CBCSRE) in Lakeland. The report was distributed at the firm’s annual …

Phil Stansly: Psyllid Slayer

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Citrus Health Management Areas, HLB Management, Pests

By Ernie Neff Gulf citrus growers had a CHMA (citrus health management area) before CHMAs were popular — even before they were called CHMAs! Phil Stansly, University of Florida (UF) entomology professor, is among those credited with organizing Florida’s first psyllid- and HLB-fighting CHMA. Others recognized for the achievement include Gulf Citrus Growers Association (GCGA), Florida Cooperative Extension Service and …

The Texas Psyllid/HLB Experience

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening, HLB Management

John da Graca, director of the Texas A&M University Kingsville Citrus Center in Weslaco, was among hundreds attending the International Research Conference on HLB March 15-17 in Orlando. He summarizes the Texas industry’s experience with HLB and the Asian citrus psyllids that spread the disease. “Psyllids arrived (in Texas) about 2001,” da Graca says. “At the time it wasn’t seen …

Safeguarding Citrus Stock

Tacy CalliesCitrus Greening, Regulation

By Georgios Vidalakis On March 30, 2007, I received a memorable phone call in my office at the University of California (UC), Riverside. “Georgios,” said the caller, “The 2008 Farm Bill will establish the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) for specialty crops. This program will be like no other because it will be driven from the ground up. The system …

legislative issues

Mutual President Summarizes Legislative Issues

Ernie NeffLegislative

Florida Citrus Mutual President John Barben summarized Mutual’s efforts at the state and federal levels during the recent Highlands County Citrus Growers Association annual meeting in Sebring. “We talked a little bit about going after our (state legislative) funding for this year – for CRDF (Citrus Research and Development Foundation), for New Varieties (Development and Management Corp.) – trying to …

leprosis

Blight Research Update

Ernie NeffDiseases, Research

Ron Brlansky, a University of Florida professor emeritus, spent much of his career at the Citrus Research and Education Center researching blight, and he’s still working on it. He discussed efforts to obtain funding for more research at a recent seminar in Lake Alfred attended by about 20 people. “We have a virus that’s associated with it (blight) now,” Brlansky …

forecast

Hall of Famer Sparks Credits Teams for Success

Ernie NeffCitrus

Florida Citrus Mutual Chief Executive Officer Mike Sparks, inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame on March 10, lists a group of teams that contributed to his success. “You’ve got to look at the big groups, no one individual – the citrus commissioners, past executive directors at the Department of Citrus, professional staff, growers, Mutual’s board of directors, Mutual’s …

hall of famer jim ellis

Hall of Famer Ellis on His Influencers and the Future

Ernie NeffCitrus

Recent Florida Citrus Hall of Fame inductee Jim Ellis of Bartow credits “God, my parents, my family and the members of the Florida citrus industry” for his success. Ellis was inducted on March 10, along with Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks and the late T. Ralph Robinson, in ceremonies at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. “My passion is to …

zinc

Citrus Agency Hopes for Rebound After New Forecast

Daniel CooperCitrus, Forecast, Industry News Release

The Florida Department of Citrus is hoping for a better second half of the growing season after the latest decline in projections for the state’s orange and grapefruit harvest. Meanwhile, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said a 4 percent drop from February to March in the forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is another sign of the effects of deadly …

Wonderful Citrus Acquires Major Fruit Marketing and Import Business

Kelsey FryCitrus

Media Contact: Steven Clark 310-966-3517 steven.clark@wonderful.com Significant Supply and Distribution of Counter-Seasonal Citrus Products and Domestic Grapefruit Added to America’s Largest Integrated Grower, Shipper and Packer of Fresh Citrus DELANO, CALIFORNIA, and FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA (February 1, 2017) – Wonderful Citrus, America’s largest integrated grower, shipper and packer of fresh citrus, has purchased DNE World Fruit, the largest citrus marketer …

Soil Improvement with Organic Mulch

Tacy CalliesSoil Improvement

By Jim Hoffman This article is about my experiences with incorporating organic mulched materials into select areas of groves at Estes Citrus in the Indian River region. Our citrus groves consist of bedded, 40-acre blocks where it is common to have three or four distinct soil types in each block. Unfortunately, we have several sand-pond areas that have a history …

Finger Lime Could Be New Crop for Citrus Growers

Tacy CalliesBreeding

By Manjul Dutt, Ethan Nielsen and Jude Grosser The finger lime is a citrus relative, scientifically named Microcitrus australasica. Finger limes are native to Australia and are so named because the fruits are long and fingerlike in shape (see figures 1 and 2). Finger limes belong to a group of similar citrus relatives, all originating from Australia with common names …

weed management

Adding Weed Management Tools

Ernie NeffHerbicides

“I’m in the process of information gathering now,” says Ramdas Kanissery, a new weed scientist at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) in Immokalee. “I’m traveling to several groves and looking at the weed problems.” A trained agricultural chemist, Kanissery began working at the SWFREC at the end of October 2016. His expertise is in understanding the fate, …

HLB, breeding

An Update on Breeding Against HLB

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening, Genetic Engineering, HLB Management

University of Florida researcher Jude Grosser recently discussed a broad range of research aimed at mitigating the effects of HLB during an OJ Break in Sebring. Among topics he covered are the possibility of windbreaks that kill HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids, and progress on trees that are HLB resistant or tolerant. Regarding psyllid-killing windbreaks, he says, “We do have a …

Will You Be Ready for Postbloom Fruit Drop?

Tacy CalliesDiseases, PFD

By Megan M. Dewdney Again in 2016, postbloom fruit drop (PFD) caused widespread problems in Florida groves. There were multiple factors that contributed to the outbreak in 2016. The primary factor was likely the extended bloom that many saw because of a combination of tree stress caused by huanglongbing (HLB) and the very warm winter. Bloom in some groves was …

HLB

Pathologist to Tackle HLB and Other Diseases

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening, HLB Management, PFD

Ozgur Batuman, a new citrus plant pathologist at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, discusses the diseases he’ll work on. “I am planning to of course tackle some of the more pressing issues that citrus growers are facing these days, one of them being huanglongbing (HLB), and confronting its vector, Asian citrus psyllid,” he says. He will also research …

bactericides survey

‘It’s Not a Pretty Picture,’ Industry Leader Tells State Senators

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening, Legislative

On February 21, leaders of three key Florida citrus organizations acquainted the Florida Senate’s Agriculture Committee with the issues facing the citrus industry. They summarize their presentations: “It’s not a pretty picture,” says Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks. He describes the huge production losses and increased costs that HLB disease has created. “Right now our whole future revolves around …

Sneak Peek: March 2017 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The March issue of Citrus Industry magazine will help growers find funding sources for improvements to best management practices (BMPs). It also describes the impact the water bill is having on implementation of BMPs. Growers will want to read University of Florida professor Kelly Morgan’s article that details future changes to BMPs that are coming. Ground cover management can improve …

HLB, microbiology

Soil Microbiologist Discusses Work

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Research

Sarah Strauss became a University of Florida soil microbiologist at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center at Immokalee in late May 2016. She discusses the ways she hopes to help citrus growers. “There’s a lot of exciting things in soil microbiology,” Strauss says. “There’s a lot of new technology that we didn’t have just five years ago. And so …