Kaolin Helps With ACP and HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management

According to researchers in Florida and California, kaolin clay, especially red kaolin, aids in the management of Asian citrus pysllids (ACP) and the HLB they spread, among other attributes. Christopher Vincent of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and Monique Rivera of the University of California at Riverside recently presented a webinar about kaolin. The University …

Georgia Growers: Stop Citrus Greening Spread

Tacy CalliesCitrus Greening

Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia assistant professor and small fruits pathologist, is concerned about the potential impact of citrus greening disease in Georgia. That’s why he is encouraging Georgia growers to quickly dispose of infected trees if any are found. “Once greening becomes really widespread and established in a lot of our trees, it’s really hard to stop it,” Oliver …

Alabama Trying to Contain Citrus Canker

Tacy CalliesDiseases

How citrus canker arrived in Alabama is still unknown. What is certain is that it’s an issue the Alabama Department of Agriculture is determined to contain before it becomes a major problem, said Kassie Conner, director of the Auburn University Plant Diagnostic Lab, during a recent webinar. “The first trees that were found infected were in a landscape, and the …

Protect Against the COVID-19 Delta Variant

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19, Tip of the Week

By Ben Chapman, Taylor O’Bannon, Matt Krug and Michelle Danyluk If you would have asked us last September if there would still be a need to write a tip about COVID-19 a year later, our answer would have been, “We sure hope not.” So, what’s changed? The simplest explanation is the emergence of the Delta variant. When you hear us …

CUPS Yielding Positive Results for Grapefruit

Tacy CalliesCUPS

An innovative way to manage huanglongbing (HLB) disease is producing impressive results in University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research. According to Arnold Schumann, UF/IFAS professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), citrus under protective screen (CUPS) production systems have increased yields with zero effect from HLB. He shared research results during a recent …

Update on Culturing of the Citrus Greening Bacterium

Tacy CalliesHLB Management, Research

By Nabil Killiny, Anders Omsland, Haluk Beyenal and David R. Gang The suspected causative agent of citrus greening disease, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), is one of many plant pathogens that has not been isolated and grown in pure culture. One major reason for this is its small genome size; it is missing the genes for several metabolic pathways critical for …

Landscape Fabric Blocks Diaprepes Larvae

Ernie NeffPests

Fabric mulch landscape covers, typically used to block weeds in nurseries, can aid in diaprepes root weevil control, Larry Duncan reported at the recent Citrus Expo. “Some of these products, not all of them, are extremely effective at blocking the diaprepes weevil larvae from getting into the soil” after falling from a citrus tree, Duncan said. Duncan is a University …

citrus

Hurricane Preparation and Recovery: Key Points

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast, hurricane

Multi-county citrus Extension agent Ajia Paolillo recently suggested ways to prepare for and recover from a hurricane. Hurricane season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Paolillo said hurricane activity is usually most prevalent from August to October. She cited an August update from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration predicting 15 to 21 tropical storms this summer, with 7 …

Incentive for Early-Orange Plantings

Ernie NeffCRAFT

Growers who participate in the upcoming Cycle III of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program will be offered an additional $1,000-per-acre incentive to plant early-season oranges. Tamara Wood, CRAFT executive director and program manager, announced the incentive during an Aug. 31 CRAFT Cycle III workshop. CRAFT pays Florida growers to plant trees on which they will conduct commercial …

Irrigation Aided by Thermal Imaging

Ernie NeffIrrigation

Scientists in Brazil and Florida found that the direct examination of plant canopy temperature can assist in optimizing citrus irrigation management in greenhouses. The researchers were Gustavo Haddad Souza Vieira with the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo in Brazil and Rhuanito “Johnny” Ferrarezi with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Their study aimed to develop a …

Sneak Peek: September 2021 Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The September issue of Citrus Industry magazine largely focuses on two topics: nutrient management research and highlights from the return of the in-person Citrus Expo. NUTRITION RESEARCHSeveral features authored by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences authors share the latest strategies for improving nutrition of citrus trees. Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht discuss the newest technologies that …

E-commerce and Social Media Lead Citrus Marketing

Ernie NeffMarketing

Two reports that a Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) marketing executive presented recently show that social media and e-commerce have become major, effective tools for marketing citrus and other products. FDOC Director of Global Marketing Samantha Lane told the Florida Citrus Commission on Aug. 25 that the FDOC’s 2021-22 e-commerce campaign has so far driven more than $2.3 million in …

Mutual Petitions FDA Regarding OJ Brix

Ernie NeffOrange Juice

Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) is making efforts to protect growers in the event Florida oranges don’t meet the minimum Brix requirement for not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice (OJ). FCM recently sent a formal request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking enforcement discretion to protect growers from the likely contingency that Florida’s 2021-22 orange crop may not meet FDA’s …

How to Work With UF/IFAS for a Rootstock Trial

Tacy CalliesRootstocks, Tip of the Week

By Bill Castle The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) plant improvement team has long been engaged in field research to evaluate new scions and rootstocks. That effort continues and has involved trials on public and private property. While public sites are valuable, they are limited in number. Thus, most …

Making Sense of Biologicals: A Key Tool Against Citrus Canker

Tacy CalliesMSOB

Disease management ranks high on the list of every Florida citrus grower’s agenda. Tools are available for producers to combat citrus diseases like greasy spot, melanose, scab, foot rot and citrus canker. But growers can never have enough tools, especially when disease resistance is a real possibility in the future. STOCKING THE TOOLBOX“To grow citrus trees and produce quality fruit …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Advice From 1887

Tacy CalliesPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In researching the biographies for an upcoming book on the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame members, I came across a digitized book by Google online that was written in 1887. It’s titled “Florida Facts Both Bright and Blue: A Guide Book to Intending Settlers, Tourists, and Investors From a Northerner’s Standpoint; Plain Unvarnished Truth, Without ‘Taffy’; …

Citrus Exports Face Challenges

Ernie NeffExport

Canker protocols in the European Union (EU) and difficulties transporting fruit to Asia are among problems hampering Florida’s fresh citrus exports, Dan Richey told participants during the recent virtual Packinghouse Day. Richey, of Riverfront Packing Company, is heavily involved in international trade issues on behalf of Florida’s citrus industry. The canker protocols that the EU has imposed for accepting Florida …

Missed Expo? You Can Catch Up!

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast, Citrus Expo

If you missed Citrus Expo Aug. 18-19 and the great production information available at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) booth, you can now access it online. Posters and videos that were available at the booth are now on the UF/IFAS Citrus Research website. Click on “Presentations,” then “Citrus Expo Presentations,” then “2021 Citrus Expo.” …

texas

Canker Eradication Efforts Underway in Texas

Ernie NeffDiseases

The Asiatic A strain of citrus canker was recently found in the Upper Gulf Coast area of Texas, posing a significant threat to the state’s commercial citrus production. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Citrus Center are collaborating on surveys to detect the disease. They are also removing and properly …

IPCs Help With Diaprepes and Nematodes

Ernie NeffPests

Florida citrus growers have known for several years that individual protective covers (IPCs) do a good job of excluding HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids from young trees. “But those protective covers also protect from things like Diaprepes abbreviatus,” researcher Larry Duncan told the recent Citrus Expo audience. Duncan is a nematologist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …