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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “Florida”
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center breeding program has released three new scion cultivars in the last year. These cultivars provide opportunities for diverse segments of the Florida citrus industry, including nurseries catering to the home landscape marketplace. The new releases demonstrate the value of a broad-based breeding program to …
The Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources (WLI) recently selected 30 participants for Class XII of its two-year leadership development program. The program’s first seminar will take place in Gainesville in November. Participants have committed to 11 seminars, totaling 55 days, which further develop their leadership capacity in representing agricultural and natural resources industries. Seminars will be held …
By Fernando Alferez, Daniel Boakye, Murillo De Sousa and Pablo Orozco After HLB was first detected in Florida, increase in disease-associated preharvest fruit drop in affected trees has significantly reduced grower returns. Fruit drop is normal in healthy citrus, accounting for 10% to 15% of the total crop. However, under endemic HLB conditions and depending on the variety, crop loss …
Citrus breeder Jude Grosser recently shared tips on tree nutrition and discussed some scion/rootstock combinations that should work well for trees producing juice oranges. NUTRITIONGrosser became very interested in citrus nutrition several years ago in an effort to keep his newly bred trees healthy in the face of HLB. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor …
In the nearly two decades that huanglongbing (HLB) has plagued Florida citrus groves, about $1 billion has been spent in the search for solutions. A lot of great scientists in Florida and around the world have worked on the problem, and a silver bullet, if there is one to be found, has been elusive. Researchers, along with growers, have developed …
By Ozgur Batuman Plant virus diseases are unusually difficult to manage if introduced into new production sites. Citrus-infecting viruses, particularly those spread by insect vectors, are no exception to this. Florida is regularly challenged by a barrage of invasive pests and pathogen species that could devastate the citrus industry. Viruses causing citrus leprosis and citrus yellow vein clearing diseases are …
UPDATE: Both the Oct. 9 and Oct. 13 listening sessions have been postponed. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson will host a farm bill listening session with U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack in attendance on Oct. 13. The session will allow Florida’s growers and ranchers to voice recommendations for the 2023 U.S. farm bill and related agricultural issues. The farm bill …
Using the plant growth regulators (PGRs) gibberellic acid (GA), 2,4-D and cytokinin in combination can maximize the benefit for HLB-affected trees, researcher Tripti Vashisth reported recently. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor of citrus horticulture and production works at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. She discussed the benefits of …
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) recently requested the rejection of Miami-Dade County’s proposed Heat Standard for Outdoor Workers. FFVA urged the county’s Community Health Committee (CHC) to engage agricultural producers in developing a meaningful and workable standard. FFVA argued that the proposed standard is intentionally broad and punitive and does not provide the support needed for implementation. The …
The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo ventured into new territory this year — literally. After three decades at the Lee Civic Center in Fort Myers, this year’s event was held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. There were several factors forcing the move this year, including damage to the Lee Civic Center from Hurricane Ian. With a new facility …
Trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) is giving growers hope for the future of the Florida citrus industry. Many are optimistic the new therapy will help improve both fruit quality and quantity. The key will be whether fruit holds on the trees until harvest time. The October issue of Citrus Industry magazine provides the latest information on OTC trunk injection from …
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on Sept. 12 proposed a new rule that would strengthen protections for temporary foreign farmworkers in the H-2A program. This is the third proposed regulation tied specifically to the H-2A program in the last year. It follows the final DOL rule published in October 2022 that modernized key aspects of the H-2A program and …
By Tripti Vashisth, Wesley Webb and Taylor Livingston As trees become symptomatic for HLB, leaves experience an imbalance of plant hormones. This hormonal imbalance exacerbates HLB symptoms and can lead to more stem dieback, poor vegetative growth and fruit drop. This ultimately leads to reduced bearing wood, resulting in yield losses and tree decline. Thus, the use of growth-promoting hormones …
By Ute Albrecht, Larissa Nunes and Gabriel Pugina The current label recommends trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) into the rootstock, but this may not always be possible. Previous University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) studies have shown that both rootstock and scion injections are effective. However, researchers have not yet studied if different rootstocks influence …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I recently received Waverly Growers Cooperative’s 50th Golden Anniversary booklet (1914–1964) from a reader. One of the things I found interesting was how the town of Waverly was formed, and how various places in the area got their names. Between 1882 and 1884, W.B. Campbell, Asa Gibbons and F.W. Ohlinger homesteaded in a stopping place for …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) scientists and research partners have found a faster, safer and less expensive way for growers to detect the invasive lebbeck mealybug. A recent study published in Journal of Applied Entomology describes their work. The lebbeck mealybug (Nipaecoccus viridis) feeds on and damages various citrus fruit and ornamental plants. The invasive species …
By Ernie Neff New tools available to aid in establishment of young citrus groves all have pros, cons and unknowns, entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock told a Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo audience in August. Diepenbrock is an entomologist and assistant professor with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. She opened her presentation by saying insecticides alone are …
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Citrus has the attention of new University of Florida President (UF) Ben Sasse. That bodes well for UF’s continued commitment to the industry. Ag TourIt started on June 3, when I took the president on a 28-hour tour of Florida agriculture. It included a stop at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in …
One of the overlooked casualties of tropical storms and hurricanes is field research conducted by scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Research on new varieties, plant treatments and other practices can be upended in a day by a violent storm. That happened to some of Christopher Vincent’s research. The UF/IFAS assistant professor of …
By Frank Giles and Tacy Callies The Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo hosted two citrus educational sessions during the Aug. 16–17 event held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The sessions included both long-term research aimed at delivering trees resistant to HLB as well as what growers can do today to help mitigate the effects of the disease in …
