The only changes made in today’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) citrus crop forecast were in Florida. Red grapefruit decreased 3 percent, going from 8.5 million boxes to 8.2 million boxes. The projection for honey tangerines increased from 600,000 boxes to 700,000 boxes, bringing the overall Florida tangerine total to 1.5 million boxes. Download Audio February USDA Citrus Crop Forecast …
CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Upcoming Opportunities To Tour and Taste
By Peter Chaires It’s time to log some dates on the calendar. Citrus breeding teams have set dates for this year’s variety displays, field days and open houses. These events present excellent opportunities to learn about their priorities, methods and results. There are opportunities to sample the fruit of the latest promising selections, as well as tour test plantings and …
Genetic Transformation of Citrus: Timelines and Progress
Researcher Manjul Dutt told a Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo audience in August why it can take up to 14 years to get a genetically modified citrus tree from discovery to commercial release. He also discussed the transgenic citrus progress at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), where he is an assistant professor at the …
Save the Orange Initiative Aims to Address HLB
Invaio Sciences, The Coca-Cola Company, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Solve and Fundecitrus are participating in the Save the Orange initiative. The collaborative effort aims to address citrus greening disease, also known as huanglongbing (HLB). “We bring to the Save the Orange initiative a powerful suite of innovations, including our commercially available Trecise technology,” Invaio stated. According to Invaio, Trecise is …
Canopy Management Needed for Cold-Hardy Citrus
Pruning may help cold-hardy producers salvage their satsuma crop from one year to the next and not endure extreme alternate bearing cycles. “Pruning in the heavy year may help alleviate that alternate bearing pattern. But we still have to do the research to support that,” said Mary Sutton, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist. While pruning …
Emerging Varieties Program Offers Opportunities for Growers
There has been high interest in the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation programs recently as a new cycle of applications has been bolstered by record funding of more than $100 million from the Florida Legislature. This includes the introduction of a new CRAFT program called the Emerging Varieties Program. It will provide citrus growers with a $40 per …
Phytophthora Root Rot a Concern in the Cold-Hardy Region
Phytophthora root rot’s impact on young citrus trees is concerning for groves in the cold-hardy citrus region of North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama. Newly planted trees are more vulnerable to the disease than older, established trees, says Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia assistant professor and small fruits pathologist. He discussed the disease’s impact during the Citrus Grower’s Summer …
Insights Into HLB Tolerance
A study by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers provides insights into the mechanisms of HLB tolerance in C. australis hybrids. A recent article about the study by Sheetal Ramekar, Lamiaa M. Mahmoud, Jaideep Kaur Deol, Stacy Welker and Manjul Dutt of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center was published in BMC Genomics. Citrus …
Factors That Influence Juice Quality
By Tripti Vashisth, Johann Hiller and Taylor Livingston Poor fruit quality has long been a significant hurdle for sweet orange growers in the HLB era. With high fruit drop rates and challenges in harvest management, many growers find themselves picking fruit earlier than ideal, resulting in subpar Brix levels. To effectively improve the Brix of the fruit, it is essential …
Survey Shows Oxytetracycline Use and Benefits
A 2024 survey showed that most Florida citrus growers used oxytetracycline (OTC) trunk injection on most of their acres, resulting in improved yield and reduced fruit drop. Tara Wade, associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, presented survey results at the recent Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. OTC …
Sneak Peek: September 2025 Citrus Industry
The September issue of Specialty Crop Grower features an article on the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo’s extensive educational program. Read highlights of what growers learned over the two-day Tampa event and hear more in the August episode of the All In For Citrus podcast. The Citrus Industry section of the magazine begins with an article detailing two big announcements …
CRAFT Informational Meetings Draw Big Interest
With a record amount of funding from the Florida Legislature, the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation hosted a road show in early September that included stops in Fort Pierce, Lake Placid and Lake Alfred to provide information about grower programs. All three stops were well attended by growers interested in learning about the latest cycle of funding. With …
Impact of Satsuma Shortage in Cold-Hardy Citrus Region
Minimal satsumas this harvest season will impact cold-hardy producers far beyond the loss of production in the region. MAINTENANCE MANDATORY Growers are now tasked with maintaining their groves when there is little to no fruit on the trees. It is a chore that producers should still follow through on, however, says Jake Price, University of Georgia (UGA) area citrus agent. …
Oxytetracycline Aids Fruit Quality for Some Scions
A presenter at the recent Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo said oxytetracycline (OTC) trunk injections improved fruit quality in several citrus scions that were studied. The presenter was John Chater, assistant professor and citrus genetic improvement horticulturist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center. Chater opened his presentation with these …
Farmer Alliance: Pesticide Data Program ‘Critical’
The Minor Crop Farmer Alliance (MCFA) recently requested that a U.S. Department of Agriculture Reorganization Plan not adversely impact the Pesticide Data Program (PDP) administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the alliance called the PDP “a relatively small but exceptionally critical program upon which the agriculture community heavily depends.” The letter stated …
A New Director for Two Citrus Organizations
Kristi Joyner on April 1 succeeded Brenda Eubanks Burnette as executive director of both the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame (FCHOF) and the Miss Florida Citrus program. BACKGROUND AND GOALS “I started my career in political campaigns and grass roots advocacy, working on numerous successful congressional, state legislative and county commission campaigns,” Joyner said. “I spent many years as a …
Citrus Industry Leader Has High Hopes for OTC
Rick Dantzler, Citrus Research and Development Foundation chief operating officer, provided hope for citrus growers during the recent Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. He believes citrus greening disease could soon be a thing of the past. But to get growers to that “tree of the future,” they need short-term solutions to overcome the devastating disease. Dantzler continues to tout trunk …
Expo Delivers Research Updates and Practical Tools for Growers
By Michael E. Rogers The 2025 Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo took place Aug. 20–21 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The event brought growers, researchers and industry professionals together for two full days of education and discussion. This year’s program featured what may have been a record number of University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences …
Citrus Greening Quarantine Expanded in California
Federal and state agriculture officials have expanded the quarantine for citrus greening in the Perris area of Riverside County in California by 33 square miles. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) expanded the quarantine. The measure parallels the intrastate quarantine that CDFA established …
Ruling on Adverse Effect Wage Rate Applauded
In late August, a federal court in Louisiana vacated the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) 2023 Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) Methodology rule. Grower advocacy groups applauded the ruling, noting it should help bring wage stability to the highly volatile AEWR. The rule, published Feb. 28, 2023, based the H-2A program’s AEWRs on the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) …